IATF-EID Resolution No. 101, s. 2021

February 26, 2021

IATF-EID RESOLUTION NO. 101, S. 2021

WHEREAS, Section 15, Article II of the 1987 Constitution states that the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them;

WHEREAS, Section 2 (b) of Executive Order No. 168 mandates the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to prevent and/or minimize the entry of suspected or confirmed patients with emerging infectious diseases into the country;

WHEREAS, on September 16, 2020, the President issued Proclamation No. 1021 (s. 2020) extending the period of the State of Calamity throughout the Philippines until September 21, 2021;

WHEREAS, the Department of Health received reports regarding a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.1.7 or VUI 2020/12/01) spreading in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) and another variant identified in South Africa (501.V2);

WHEREAS, Memoranda of the Executive Secretary provided for additional measures to be observed relative to the SARS-CoV-2 Variant detected in the United Kingdom including the imposition of travel restrictions on countries/jurisdictions where the new COVID-19 variants were officially reported, and subjected Filipino citizens coming from the same countries/jurisdictions to an absolute 14-day quarantine period notwithstanding a negative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test result;

WHEREAS, the continued implementation of proactive measures is necessary to ensure the utmost protection of the health of the Filipino people;

WHEREAS, as of February 25, 2021, there are a total of Thirty-Two Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Seven (32,437) active COVID-19 cases in the Philippines;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, as it is hereby resolved, that the IATF approves the uniform travel protocols for land, air, and sea of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, crafted in close coordination with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, League of Provinces of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, and the League of Cities of the Philippines, with the following salient provisions:

A. On Minimum Public Health Standards:

1. Minimum public health standards, which include physical distancing, hand hygiene, cough etiquette, and wearing of face masks and face shields among others, shall be strictly implemented across all settings; and

2. Clinical and exposure assessment shall be strictly implemented in all ports of entry and exit to ensure that only asymptomatic, non-close contact individuals are allowed to travel or enter the local government unit of destination. Health assessment of passengers, supervised by medical doctors, shall be mandatory upon entry in the port/terminal and exit at point of destination.

B. On Testing and Quarantine:

1. Testing shall not be mandatory for traveler except if the LGU of destination (province with respect to their municipalities and component cities, and highly urbanized cities [HUCs] and independent component cities [ICCs]) will require testing as a requirement prior to travel, and such shall be limited to RT-PCR; and

2. No traveler shall be required to undergo quarantine unless they exhibit symptoms upon arrival at the LGU of destination.

C. On Documentary Requirements:

1. Travel Authority issued by Joint Task Force COVID Shield and health certificates shall no longer be required;

2. Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APORs) from national government agencies and their attached agencies must provide their identification card, travel order, and travel itinerary, and must pass symptom-screening at ports of entry and exit pursuant to IATF Resolution No. 98-A issued on February 4, 2021.

D. On Information and Communication Technology Solutions:

1. The Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage (S-PaSS) Travel Management System of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) shall be institutionalized as the one-stop-shop application/communication for travelers. For this purpose, a focal person from the province with respect to their municipalities and component cities, and from HUCs and ICCs shall be assigned; and

2. The StaySafe.ph System shall be utilized as the primary contact tracing system. Traze App for airports, and such other existing contact tracing applications must be integrated with the StaySafe.ph System following IATF Resolution No. 85 issued on November 25, 2020.

E. On Ports/Terminals:

1. All terminals must have assigned sufficient quarantine/isolation facilities;

2. All ports and terminals shall put in place a referral system wherein travelers who become symptomatic shall be transferred to quarantine/isolation facilities to enable the Bureau of Quarantine for airports, or local health officials in case of LGUs, to take over;

3. For the National Capital Region, all buses bound for provinces shall be required to use the Integrated Terminal Exchange as the central hub for transportation. No bus company or public transport shall be allowed use of their private terminals; and

4. At their option, LGUs may provide transportation for all travelers who are transiting from one LGU to another in cases of arrivals at air and seaports to their end-point destinations.

These uniform travel protocols shall be applicable to all LGUs and may be further refined and/or amended jointly by the DILG, DOH, DOT, DOTr, DOST, and the PNP, without further need of an IATF issuance. For this purpose, the aforementioned agencies as well as other identified agencies, and the local government units are enjoined to ensure smooth implementation of these protocols.

RESOLVED FURTHER, 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 101st Inter-Agency Task Force Meeting, as reflected in the minutes of the meeting, held this 26th of February 2021 via video conference.

(SGD.) FRANCISCO T. DUQUE IIISecretary, Department of HealthIATF Chairperson

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

ATTACHMENT

Certification

This is to certify that:

1. I am presently an Assistant Secretary of the Department of Health;

2. I am the interim OIC-Head of the Secretariat of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases created under Executive Order No. 168, series of 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 a regular meeting of the IATF, the IATF Resolution No. 101 was unanimously approved and adopted;

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

7. The aforesaid resolution has not been altered, modified nor revoked and the same is now in full force and effect;

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

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature this 26th day of February 2021, Manila.

(SGD.) ATTY. CHARADE B. MERCADO-GRANDEOIC-Head of the Secretariat, IATFAssistant Secretary of Health