PH scraps pre-departure RT-PCR test for fully vaxxed, boostered tourists

NAIA TERMINAL 3 RESUME OF OPERATION / JULY 8, 2020 Passengers bound for Japan on the first day of resumption of operation for international flights of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City after three months of temporary closure due to travel restrictions caused by coronavirus disease pandemic. INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — Starting May 30, the Philippine government will no longer require a COVID-19 pre-departure test for incoming passengers who are fully vaccinated and had received at least one booster shot.

The Palace announced Friday that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has adopted the Department of Tourism (DOT) recommendations to restore the country’s tourism sector.

According to IATF Resolution No. 168, foreign nationals aged 18 and above who have received the primary series COVID-19 vaccine and at least one COVID-19 booster shot are exempted from the pre-departure RT-PCR test requirement.

Also exempted are foreign nationals aged 12 to 17 who are “fully vaccinated” as well as foreign nationals aged below 12 who are accompanied by their fully vaccinated and boostered parents or guardians.

The same rule applies to incoming fully vaccinated Filipino nationals.

Meanwhile, a travel insurance will also no longer be required for arriving passengers, but is still highly encouraged.

“We are glad that the propositions we have worked on have been approved by the IATF-EID and are now up for implementation. As we make it more convenient for tourists to visit the country, the public’s health and safety will remain the DOT’s priority,” Tourism Secretary Berna-Romulo Puyat said in a statement.

“The DOT sees this development as a win for the local tourism industry as welcoming more tourists in the country will yield more revenues for our MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises), and restore more jobs and livelihoods in the sector,” she added.

/MUF