IATF-EID Amended Resolution No. 160-B, s. 2022

March 10, 2022

IATF-EID AMENDED RESOLUTION NO. 160-B, S. 2022

WHEREAS, Section 2 (c) of Executive Order No. 168 (s.2014)mandates the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to prevent and/or minimize the local spread of emerging infectious diseases (EID) in the country through the establishment or reinforcement of a system in screening possible patients infected with EID, contact tracing, identification of the mode of the exposure to the virus, and implementation of effective quarantine and proper isolation procedures;

WHEREAS, on 10 September 2021, the President issued Proclamation No. 1218 (s. 2021) further extending the period of the State of Calamity throughout the Philippines until 12 September 2022, unless earlier lifted or extended as circumstances may warrant;

WHEREAS, the Department of Health (DOH), the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC), and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) biosurveillance have detected B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), B.1.617 (Delta), and B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variants of SARS CoV-2 in the Philippines;

WHEREAS, in order to minimize the cross-border transmission of SARS CoV-2, there is a need to adopt border control and quarantine measures for all passengers entering the Philippine territory by sea or by air.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, as it is hereby resolved, that, in view of the temporary suspension of the classification of countries, territories and/or jurisdictions into "Green," "Yellow," and "Red," the following shall be the new entry, testing and quarantine protocols for foreign nationals arriving from abroad, effective 0001H of 10 February 2022:

A. Foreign Nationals Entering the Philippines Visa-Free

1. Foreign nationals traveling to the Philippines for business and tourism purposes may enter the Philippines without visas, provided they:

a. Qualify as former Filipino citizens with Balikbayan privilege under Republic Act No. 9174, including their spouse and/or children who are not balikbayans in their own right and are traveling with them to the Philippines; provided they are not restricted nationals; OR

b. Are a citizen/national of the following countries entitled to a stay not exceeding thirty (30) days (Executive Order 408, S. 1960, as amended):

1. Andorra

2. Angola

3. Antigua and Barbuda

4. Argentina

5. Australia

6. Austria

7. Bahamas

8. Bahrain

9. Barbados

10. Belgium

11. Belize

12. Benin

13. Bhutan

14. Bolivia

15. Botswana

16. Brazil

17. Brunei Darussalam

18. Bulgaria

19. Burkina Faso

20. Burundi

21. Cambodia

22. Cameroon

23. Canada

24. Cape Verde

25. Central African Republic

26. Chad

27. Chile

28. Colombia

29. Comoros

30. Congo

31. Costa Rica

32. Cote d'Ivoire

33. Croatia

34. Cyprus

35. Czech Republic

36. Democratic Republic of the Congo

37. Denmark

38. Djibouti

39. Dominica

40. Dominican Republic

41. Ecuador

42. El Salvador

43. Equatorial Guinea

44. Eritrea

45. Estonia

46. Ethiopia

47. Fiji

48. Finland

49. France

50. Gabon

51. Gambia

52. Germany

53. Ghana

54. Greece

55. Grenada

56. Guatemala

57. Guinea

58. Guinea Bissau

59. Guyana

60. Haiti

61. Honduras

62. Hungary

63. Iceland

64. Indonesia

65. Ireland

66. Israel

67. Italy

68. Jamaica

69. Japan

70. Kazakhstan

71. Kenya

72. Kiribati

73. Kuwait

74. Kyrgyzstan

75. Lao PDR

76. Latvia

77. Lesotho

78. Liberia

79. Liechtenstein

80. Lithuania

81. Luxembourg

82. Madagascar

83. Malawi

84. Malaysia

85. Maldives

86. Mali

87. Malta

88. Marshall Islands

89. Mauritania

90. Mauritius

91. Mexico

92. Micronesia

93. Monaco

94. Mongolia

95. Morocco

96. Mozambique

97. Myanmar

98. Namibia

99. Nepal

100. Netherlands

101. New Zealand

102. Nicaragua

103. Niger

104. Norway

105. Oman

106. Palau

107. Panama

108. Papua New Guinea

109. Paraguay

110. Peru

111. Poland

112. Portugal

113. Qatar

114. Republic of Korea

115. Romania

116. Russia

117. Rwanda

118. Saint Kitts and Nevis

119. Saint Lucia

120. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

121. Samoa

122. San Marino

123. Sao Tome and Principe

124. Saudi Arabia

125. Senegal

126. Seychelles

127. Singapore

128. Slovak Republic

129. Slovenia

130. Solomon Islands

131. South Africa

132. Spain

133. Suriname

134. Swaziland

135. Sweden

136. Switzerland

137. Tajikistan

138. Thailand

139. Togo

140. Trinidad and Tobago

141. Tunisia

142. Turkey

143. Turkmenistan

144. Tuvalu

145. Uganda

146. UAE

147. UK and Northern Ireland

148. United Republic of Tanzania

149. USA

150. Uruguay

151. Uzbekistan

152. Vanuatu

153. Vatican

154. Venezuela

155. Vietnam

156. Zambia

157. Zimbabwe

c. Are holders of Hong Kong SAR or Macau SAR passports entitled to stay for a period not exceeding fourteen (14) days;

d. Are fully vaccinated, as defined in Section A (2) below, except only for minor children below twelve (12) years of age traveling with their fully-vaccinated foreign parents;

e. Carry/possess an acceptable proof of vaccination, as set out in Section A (3) below;

f. Present a negative RT-PCR test taken within forty-eight (48) hours or a negative laboratory based Antigen Test taken within twenty-four (24) hours, prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay-overs; provided, that, he/she has not left the airport premises or has not been admitted into another country during such lay-over;

g. Have passports valid for a period of at least six (6) months at the time of their arrival to the Philippines;

h. Except for foreign spouses and/or children of Filipino citizens and former Filipino citizens with balikbayan privilege under Republic Act No. 9174, including their foreign spouse and/or children who: (i) are not balikbayans in their own right and (ii) are traveling with them to the Philippines, have valid tickets for their return journey to the port of origin or next port of destination not later than thirty (30) days from date of arrival in the Philippines; AND

i. Obtain, prior to arrival, a travel insurance for COVID-19 treatment costs from reputed insurers, with a minimum coverage of USD35,000.00 for the duration of their stay in the Philippines.

2. A foreign national shall be deemed fully vaccinated only if he/she is fully compliant with the following requisites:

a. Received the second (2nd) dose in a 2-dose series or a single dose vaccine more than fourteen (14) days prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/port of embarkation.

b. The vaccine is included in any of the following:

i. Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) List or Compassionate Special Permit (CSP) issued by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration; OR

ii. Emergency Use Listing of the World Health Organization.

3. The following shall be the only acceptable proofs of vaccination, which shall be presented prior to departing/boarding from the country of origin/port of embarkation and upon arrival in the country:

a. World Health Organization International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis; OR

b. VaxCertPH; OR

c. National or state digital certificate of the country/foreign government which has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal arrangement; OR

d. Other proofs of vaccination permitted by the IATF.

4. Visa-free foreign nationals who fail to fully comply with the conditions and requisites set forth in Section A (1) to (3) above shall be denied admission into the country and shall be subject to the appropriate exclusion proceedings.

5. Once admitted into the country, they are no longer required to observe facility-based quarantine but shall self-monitor for any sign or symptom for seven (7) days with the first day being the date of arrival. However, they are required to report to the local government unit (LGU) of their destination should they manifest any symptoms.

B. Foreign Children Traveling with Filipino Nationals

1. A foreign child or children below twelve (12) years of age who are not vaccinated for any reason whatsoever and traveling with their Filipino parent, shall follow the entry, testing, and quarantine protocols of their Filipino parent traveling with them.

2. A foreign child or children from ages twelve (12) to seventeen (17) years of age traveling with their Filipino parent, shall follow the protocol based on their vaccination status (i.e., vaccinated or unvaccinated). In case of such unvaccinated minor children, either foreign or Filipino parents should accompany such child or children during their facility-based quarantine.

C. Foreign Nationals Entering Through 9(a) Visa

1. Foreign nationals covered by Section A (1) (b) intending to stay beyond thirty (30) days for purposes other than tourism or leisure, or not covered or qualified under Section A (1) (a), A (1) (b), or A (1) (c) above, or foreign nationals from visa-required countries or restricted foreign nationals, may enter the Philippines through an entry exemption document (EED) issued under existing IATF rules and regulations, provided:

a. They are fully vaccinated, as defined in Section A (2) above, except only for minor children below twelve (12) years of age traveling with their fully-vaccinated parent/s;

b. They carry/possess an acceptable proof of vaccination, as set out in Section A (3) above; AND

c. They present a negative RT-PCR test taken within forty-eight (48) hours prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay-overs; provided, that, he/she has not left the airport premises or has not been admitted into another country during such lay-over.

2. Foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens who: (i) are not nationals of E.O. 408 countries, whether or not traveling with said Filipino citizen; or (ii) are from visa-required countries; or (iii) who are restricted nationals may enter the country without need of an entry exemption document (EED), provided they have been issued a 9(a) visa with the appropriate visa notation. These foreign nationals are likewise required to comply with the provisions of Section A (1) (d) to A (1) (i).

3. Once admitted into the country, they are no longer required to observe facility-based quarantine but shall self-monitor for any sign or symptom for seven (7) days with the first day being the date of arrival. However, they are required to report to the local government unit (LGU) of their destination should they manifest any symptoms.

4. Foreign nationals who are found not compliant with the condition set forth in Section A (3) above shall be required to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth (5th) day. After which, they shall be required to undergo home quarantine until their fourteenth (14th) day, with the date of arrival being their first day.

The local government units of destination and their respective Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams are tasked to monitor those arriving passengers undergoing home quarantine.

D. Foreign Nationals with Other Types of Visas

1. Foreign nationals with valid and existing visas other than 9(a) visas may be allowed entry into the Philippines provided they are fully vaccinated as defined in Section A (2) and are able to present proofs of vaccination as set out in Section A (3), and shall no longer required to observe facility-based quarantine but shall self-monitor for any sign or symptom for seven (7) days with the first day being the date of arrival. However, they are required to report to the local government unit (LGU) of their destination should they manifest any symptoms.

2. Foreign nationals covered by this Section D who shall not be fully vaccinated as defined in Section A (2) above shall be denied admission into the country and shall be subject to the appropriate exclusion proceedings.

3. Foreign nationals covered by this Section D who fail to fully comply with the conditions and requisites set forth in Section A (3) above shall be required to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth (5th) day. After which, they shall be required to undergo home quarantine until their fourteenth (14th) day, with the date of arrival being their first day.

E. Fully vaccinated foreign nationals shall not be included in the arrival quota set by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its One-Stop-Shop (OSS).

RESOLVED FURTHER, that this resolution shall supersede the relevant entry, testing, and quarantine protocols for foreign nationals under IATF Resolution No. 159 dated 27 January 2022. Other previous IATF resolutions inconsistent herewith are deemed modified accordingly.

RESOLVED FINALLY, that the Chairperson and the Co-Chairperson shall be duly authorized to sign this Resolution for and on behalf of the Inter-Agency Task Force.

APPROVED during the 160th Inter-Agency Task Force Meeting, as reflected in the minutes of the meeting, held this February 03, 2022, via video conference.

(SGD.) KARLO ALEXEI B. NOGRALESSecretary, Office of the Cabinet SecretariatIATF Co-Chairperson

ATTACHMENT

Certification

This is to certify that:

1. I am presently an Undersecretary of the Department of Health;

2. I am the Head of the Secretariat of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases created under Executive Order No. 168, (s.2014) and chaired by the Department of Health (DOH);

3. The IATF Secretariat holds office in the DOH Main Office, San Lazaro Compound, Tayuman, Sta. Cruz, Manila;

4. I am the custodian of the records of the IATF, including the Minutes of Meetings and Resolutions;

5. In the Regular Meeting of the IATF held on 03 February 2022 via teleconference during which a quorum was present and acted throughout, IATF Resolution No. 160-B was unanimously approved and adopted;

6. IATF Resolution No. 160-B has been further amended and is being republished pursuant to IATF Resolution No. 164-A (s.2021);

7. The foregoing resolution has been signed by Secretary Francisco T. Duque III and/or Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles upon the authority of the IATF Members;

8. I am executing this Certification for whatever legitimate purpose this may serve.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature this 10th day of March 2022, Manila.

(SGD.) ATTY. CHARADE B. MERCADO-GRANDEUndersecretary of Health