DOH urges stricter border control as gov't eyes shorter quarantine for travelers

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday pushed for strict border control as the national government considered shortening the quarantine period for vaccinated travelers.

All international travelers are currently required to observe a quarantine period of up to 14 days.

“Basta mapaigting pa rin natin ang ating control sa borders we can be able to have this kind of possibility na ma-shorten po natin ang quarantine para sa mga dumadating na travelers dito sa ating bansa,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an interview on Balitanghali.

[As long as we have strict border control, we can be able to have this kind of possibility of shortening the quarantine for travelers entering the country.]

She also said the travelers should also be monitored upon their arrival at the local government units of destination.

Vergeire said studies showed that vaccinated individuals had a lower viral load following infection compared to their unvaccinated counterparts.

The DOH official issued the statement after Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Thursday that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) was inclined to reduce the quarantine period for vaccinated travelers from 14 days to only five to seven days.

President Rodrigo Duterte also preferred a seven-day period as he expressed his sympathy to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who undergo quarantine for too long.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan and Thailand earlier announced that they would ease quarantine rules for travelers who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. -NB, GMA News