Philippines OKs new quarantine protocols for travelers from 'green, yellow' countries
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 2:27 p.m.) — The Philippines on Friday started the implementation of shorter quarantine protocols for international travelers coming from countries classified as low risk and moderate risk for COVID-19.
Fully vaccinated individuals coming from “green” (low risk) and “yellow” (moderate risk) nations and jurisdictions need to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test results taken on the fifth day, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
They will then be required to undergo home quarantine until their 10th day. The day of their arrival will be considered their first day.
Meanwhile, unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or individuals whose vaccination status cannot be independently verified or confirmed as valid or authentic by local authorities coming from “green” or “yellow” countries will undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of the RT-PCR taken on the seventh day.
After that, they need to undergo home quarantine until their 14th day.
Foreign nationals are required to secure their own pre-booked accommodation of at least six days for the fully inoculated, and at least eight days for the unvaccinated, the partially vaccinated, and individuals who vaccination status cannot be independently confirmed as valid or authentic.
Here is a list of documents that will be accepted to verify or confirm a person’s vaccination status:
- Certification from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in the country of origin for overseas Filipino workers and their spouses, parents and/or children traveling with them
- VaxCert digital vaccination certificate or Bureau of Quarantine-issued International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICV) for Filipinos or foreigners fully vaccinated in the Philippines
- National digital certificate of the foreign government which accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal arrangement or BOQ-issued ICV for non-OFWs and foreigners fully vaccinated abroad
Here is a list of “red,” “yellow” and “green” countries:
Red list
- Bermuda
Green list
- American Samoa
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Cayman Islands
- Chad
- China (mainland)
- Comoros
- Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- Hungary
- Madagascar
- Mali
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Montserrat
- New Zealand
- Niger
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Poland
- Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of Netherlands)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Sierra Leone
- Sint Eustatius
- Taiwan
- Algeria
- Bhutan
- Cook Islands
- Eritrea
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Nauru
- Nicaragua
- Niue
- North Korea
- Saint Helena
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Sudan
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Yemen
Yellow list
- All other countries and territories
Shorter quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers
The business sector's call to relax the health protocols for travelers, especially for the fully vaccinated, was meant to help boost tourism and ramp up economic activity.
Joey Concepcion, presidential adviser for entrepreneurship, lauded the government's decision to grant shortened quarantine protocols for vaccinated travelers.
“This is a great Christmas gift for Filipino families. We have lost so much lives [in] this pandemic. Now, our balikbayans can spend time with their families. They can celebrate together with extra money to spend from the hotel quarantine savings,” Concepcion said.
Concepcion the sector is hoping that other areas, especially the tourist destinations, would also ease restrictions for travelers.
— Gaea Katreena Cabico
Find the latest travel and tourism news from around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. Main image by AFP/Romeo Gacad
Airlines will fly 4.35 billion passengers this year, close to the 2019 record as the industry bounces back from the Covid pandemic, an industry group said on Monday.
The sector will also be back in the green, with net profits forecast to reach $9.8 billion in 2023, or double previous estimates, boosted by the end of China's Covid restrictions, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The association added that its 2022 losses were half as bad as previously estimated at $3.6 billion.
"Airline financial performance in 2023 is beating expectations," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement during the association's annual general meeting in Istanbul.
"Stronger profitability is supported by several positive developments. China lifted Covid-19 restrictions earlier in the year than anticipated," Walsh said. — AFP
Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific reports its first annual operating profit since 2019 as the airline fights to return to pre-pandemic flight capacity.
"Cathay Pacific has experienced three challenging years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 2022 very much being a year of two halves," chairman Patrick Healy says in a statement announcing the results..
Cathay is still trailing regional rivals such as Singapore Airlines, with Hong Kong's axing of harsh pandemic curbs -- including mandatory hotel quarantine and strict testing requirements -- only beginning in the fall of last year.
The airline operated at one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity in December but expects to reach 70% of that figure by the end of 2023, the company says. — AFP
German airline giant Lufthansa says Friday it returned to annual profit in 2022 after two years of losses, its fortunes lifted by rebounding demand as economies reopened after COVID-19 shutdowns.
The group reported a net profit of 791 million euros ($839 million) for last year. This compares to a net loss of 2.2 billion euros in 2021 and 6.7 billion euros in 2020.
"Lufthansa is back," says the company's CEO Carsten Spohr. — AFP
People hoping to take advantage of a Hong Kong scheme to give away half a million free airline tickets face hours-long online queues on Wednesday, as the Asian financial hub bids to woo tourists back.
The city last month launched a campaign to reboot its reputation as "Asia's world city", after years of strict pandemic-related travel restrictions and a crackdown on sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong became one of the last places in the world to drop its outdoor mask mandate, which city leader John Lee said was a sign that it was "resuming normalcy". — AFP
Australian airline Qantas says Thursday it bounced back into profit in late 2022, hailing a "huge turnaround" after swallowing massive losses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national carrier posted a second-half profit of Aus$1.43 billion (US$974 million) before tax, after accumulating Aus$7 billion in losses across the previous three years.
Chief executive Alan Joyce says surging demand for flights had boosted the company's fortunes while announcing a plan to buy back Aus$500 million in Qantas shares. — AFP
- Latest
- Trending
