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With reference to Resolution No. 119 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) dated 03 June 2021 wherein non-Philippine government repatriation efforts are included in the exemption from the entry restrictions of Filipino travelers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Exemptions are subject to the following guidelines:
a) In case of Philippine government-organized repatriation, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration shall conduct prior coordination with each other, and with the Department of Health – Bureau of Quarantine (DOH-BOQ), Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its One-Stop Shop and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 Task Group for the Management of Returning Overseas Filipinos at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the departure from the country of origin.
b) In case of non-Philippine government repatriations:
i. All Filipino repatriates from the countries with travel restrictions must present a negative RT-PCR result, with the test taken within forty-eight (48) hours prior to boarding the aircraft or vessel. It shall be the responsibility of the airline or shipping line to check on this requirement. For purposes of documentation and monitoring, the copy of the negative RT-PCR result of the repatriate shall be submitted to the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) upon arrival in the port of entry in the Philippines.
ii. Prior approval from the BOQ for the entry of the flight or vessel carrying the Filipino repatriates is a prerequisite prior to its movement from point of origin. For this purpose, (1) the concerned local manning agency, in the case of seafarers; the (2) Philippine recruitment agency, for land-based workers; or (3) the sponsoring Philippine government agency, in case of other overseas Filipinos not covered in the foregoing shall submit the request for exemption to the DOH-BOQ indicating therein the flight/vessel and repatriate details. Said approval by DOH BOQ is tantamount to IATF’s approval on the repatriation effort.
c) All repatriates from countries with travel restrictions in effect shall be placed on a strict fourteen-day (14-day) facility-based quarantine from the date of arrival in the Philippines, with the date of arrival being the first day.
The same protocols shall be applied to other countries which may be included in the travel restrictions, as determined by the IATF or the Office of the President.
In view of the foregoing, please note of the following amended guidelines on the conduct crew changes:
A. Ships coming from or have rendered port call/s in the following countries within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines, are temporarily restricted from disembarking their seafarers, regardless of nationality, until 2359H of 15 June 2021.
1. Oman
2. United Arab Emirates
3. Pakistan
4. Bangladesh
5. Nepal
6. Sri Lanka
7. India
B. Filipino and foreign seafarers with no immigration admission in the above countries within the last 14 days preceding arrival in the Philippines shall be allowed to disembark subject to existing health and safety protocols of the established One-Shop Shops (OSS) for Seafarers.
C. Filipino seafarers coming from the flagged countries shall be allowed to enter the Philippines, subject to the above guidelines and requirements of IATF Resolution No. 119.
D. Specimen from travelers coming from the above countries that turn positive upon testing in the Philippines shall undergo Whole Genome Sequencing. All close contacts must undergo facility-based quarantine for fourteen (14) days, and contact tracing shall expand up to the third-generation contacts.
E. Embarkation to ships bound to the above shall be subject to the existing exit protocols of the Philippines as well as entry protocols of the foregoing countries.
(For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in the Philippines, contact GAC Philippines at [email protected])
Source: Philippines Department of Transportation Notice dated 4 June 2021