Palace: PH to have uniform testing, quarantine policy for returning Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines — A uniform testing and quarantine policy for returning Filipinos from abroad will be implemented in the entire country, Malacañang said Thursday.

Malacañang issued the statement after Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia asked the national pandemic task force to allow the province to implement its own quarantine protocols to cover only returning Cebuanos from abroad.

“I think the President had a final decision and that is there will be one uniform policy for the entire Philippines because of the common danger posed by the Delta variant,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing when asked to comment on Cebu’s appeal.

Duterte himself had already said he cannot make an exception for Cebu after it insisted on implementing its quarantine and testing protocols that are different from the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

FILE PHOTO: Repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs arrive at an airport after being allowed to go home following weeks of quarantine amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Garcia proposed that returning Cebuanos from abroad be allowed to proceed to their destinations after they test negative in their swab tests upon arrival at the airport.

Garcia proposed that returning Cebuanos will then continue to undergo quarantine at their homes or in a facility and will have to undergo a swab test on the seventh day. For non-Cebuanos, the IATF rules will apply.

READ: Cebu guv seeks ‘win-win’ solution to conflicting stances on arriving Cebuanos from abroad

Under the IATF’s guidelines, all returning Filipinos should undergo a 10-day facility-based quarantine and should be tested seven days after their arrival in the country.

/MUF