The Philippines will soon open its shores to fully vaccinated tourists coming from “green” countries, territories or jurisdictions tagged as low risk for COVID-19, the national pandemic response task force announced on Friday.

There is no set date yet, but Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is finalizing the guidelines for tourists coming from low-risk areas.

“Sa IATF kasi may mga guidelines na but they’re is just a few things that we need to tweak but the reason why we’re announcing it is because we’re putting the entire world in advance notice that we will eventually open up our shores to tourists from green list countries,” he said in a media briefing.

Meanwhile, vaccinated individuals from these low-risk countries do not have to take a swab test upon arrival in the Philippines nor undergo facility-based quarantine beginning Nov. 22.

They only need to present a negative swab test result prior to the trip then monitor themselves for flu-like symptoms for 14 days, Nograles said.

The unvaccinated or partially vaccinated need to undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day upon arrival.

Nograles said the testing and quarantine protocols of minors shall follow the protocol of the parent traveling with them, regardless of their vaccination status.

Source: CNN