No more RT-PCR Test for Fully Vaccinated Travelers: IATF

On a tape briefing released last Sunday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that the guidelines for individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 were released by the Inter-Agency Task Force of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

If you are one of the people who have received the second shot of a two-dose vaccine or the first of a single-dose, you are already considered as fully vaccinated.

National IATF Resolution 124-B Guidelines:

• Senior Citizens will continue to follow the intrazonal movement, given that your area is under general community quarantine or modified GCQ. The senior citizen, however, must be able to present their COVID-19 domestic vaccination card or a quarantine completion which shows the individual’s immunization status.

• If you’re also planning to do an interzonal travel, you may just present your vaccination card or certificate of quarantine completion.

• For travelers, however, you would still need to undergo health and exposure screening upon arrival at your Local Government Unit (LGU) of destination.

• If you are tagged as a close contact of a probable or confirmed COVID-19 positive person, you will still undergo a 7-day quarantine. This shortened day quarantine will only be applicable if you will remain asymptomatic after 7 days from your last exposure. If you remain to be asymptomatic, you will then be released from the quarantine facility after 7 days.

• If an RT-PCR be needed, it is deemed necessary to be done not earlier than the fifth day after your last exposure.

• However, prescribed testing and isolation protocols shall be followed once the swab test yields a positive result, or if the individual becomes symptomatic.

For the month of July 2021, the whole island of Cebu remains placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) while the Palace extended GCQ status in the National Capital Region Plus (NCR Plus) composed of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal until July 15.

The GCQ status will also be imposed in Baguio City, Apayao, City of Santiago, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Batangas, Quezon, Guimaras, Aklan, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Antique, Capiz, Zamboanga Sibugay, City of Zamboanga, Iligan City, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Cotabato City for the entire July.

Cagayan, Bataan, Lucena City, Puerto Princesa, Naga City, Iloilo City, Iloilo, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Cagayan de Oro City, the entire Davao region, Butuan City, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Sur are under stricter modified enhanced community quarantine until July 15.

The rest of the country will remain under MGCQ for another month.

Regardless if you’ve been jabbed once or twice, following the safety protocols is still deemed necessary. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry.