Travelers from countries with UK COVID variant to undergo 14-day quarantine —Roque

Travelers from countries where the new variant of COVID-19 from the United Kingdom (UK) have been reported will have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

In an Dobol B sa News TV interview on Sunday, Roque said this recommendation was among those approved by President Rodrigo Duterte during his meeting on Saturday with other government officials to discuss the new strain of the coronavirus from the UK.

"Lahat ng nanggaling sa mga bansa na meron nang bagong strain ay 14-day quarantine na sila kahit ano pang resulta ng kanilang PCR test," Roque said.

These countries include Hong Kong, Australia, and Singapore.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, during the same meeting, announced that one of the 79 passengers that arrived in the Philippines from the UK tested positive for COVID-19, though it is not yet known whether or not the person was carrying the new strain.

The Philippines has already extended the travel ban for flights from the UK for another two weeks. The ban is originally set to expire on December 31.

Roque said travelers from the UK will be isolated in quarantine facilities in Clark, Pampanga.

"Marami naman tayong facilities diyan, wala naman pong problema 'yan. Sa katotohanan ay halos nasa 50% ang ating mga facilities. Ibig sabihin, mga kalahati pa ang available na mga isolation facilities natin at hindi naman ganu'n karami 'yung mga flights na pumapasok na international," he added.

In a separate statement, Roque said the Philippines will also intensify its virus surveillance efforts to determine if the new coronavirus variant is already in the country.

The strengthened virus surveillance will include target sequencing in high-risk groups, such as clusters with increased cases and clusters with increased severity and deaths, he added.

The recommendation of Justice Secretary Menardo Gueverra to shorten the period in coming up with the implementing rules and regulations for Executive Order No. 122 strengthening border control through the adoption and implementation of an Advanced Passenger Information System was also approved by the President, Roque said.

For now, Roque said he does not have any data yet showing that there is already a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

"Ang ginagawa natin ay patuloy na pagpapaalala sa ating mga mamamayan na kapag hindi sila sumunod sa mask, sa paghugas [ng kamay], at pag-iwas, siguradong mas maraming magkakasakit," he said.

"Naniniwala naman ako na disiplinado ang mga Pilipino at ninanais talaga nila ang kanilang kalusugan para sila ay makapaghanapbuhay," he added.

Meanwhile, Roque is hoping that other COVID-19 manufacturers would also apply for an emergency use authorization for their vaccines in the country like what Pfizer-BioNTech did.

"Inaasahan natin na sana 'yung iba, kagaya ng Sinovac, Sinopharm at 'yung Moderna at AstraZeneca ay mag-apply na rin dahil hindi naman nila magagamit ang kanilang bakuna sa Pilipinas kung walang approval ng FDA (Food and Drug Administration) natin," he said.

Moreover, the Palace spokesman said Duterte is set to meet with Cabinet members and other government officials on Monday, during which he will announce the new quarantine qualifications for January.

"Sigurado iaanunsyo kung ano yung bagong quarantine classification pagdating ng Enero at yan ay pag-uusapan bukas nang umaga sa IATF para sa gabi ay marekomenda sa Presidente.

"Titingnan pa rin kung may bagong datos, may bagong balita tungkol dito sa bagong strain ng COVID-19," he added. —KG/LBG, GMA News