Minors and fully vaccinated senior citizens in Metro Manila are now allowed to travel to areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ (MGCQ), Palace spokesman Harry Roque said on Friday.
Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases made the decision on Thursday.
“[T]he IATF inserted a new provision in the [Metro Manila alert level guidelines]…allowing those below 18 years old, fully vaccinated individuals over 65-years of age, fully vaccinated individuals with comorbidities or other health risks, fully vaccinated pregnant women point-to-point interzonal travel to areas under (GCQ) and/or MGCQ,” he said.
The Philippine government will open the vaccination of minors on Oct. 15.
The IATF also released new protocols for passengers coming from green and yellow countries.
Roque, spokesman of the task force, said fully vaccinated individuals coming from green and yellow countries would need to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR testing taken on the fifth day, and undergo home quarantine until their 10th day,
Meanwhile, unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or individuals whose vaccination status cannot be independently verified or confirmed as valid or authentic by Philippine authorities coming from green or yellow countries list will be required to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their RT-PCR testing taken on the seventh day, and undergo home quarantine until their 14th day.
The Philippines has tallied 2,643,494 Covid-19 cases as of Oct. 8. John Ezekiel J. Hirro