DOH to BOQ: Intensify quarantine protocols for travelers from China amid COVID-19 surge

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it has directed the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to intensify quarantine protocols in handling travelers from China amid the surge of COVID-19 cases there.

“To strengthen its existing measures, the DOH directed the BOQ to intensify quarantine protocols such as heightened surveillance on all respiratory symptoms in all travelers and conveyances coming from China,” the DOH told reporters in a message.

According to the DOH, the BOQ should have a thorough review of the Maritime Declaration of Health and the health part of the Aircraft General Declaration.

Infected as well as symptomatic passengers should also be reported during arrival, it added.

The DOH made the statement when asked if there is a scientific basis to require testing for travelers coming from China, amid the surge of infections there as suggested by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

According to the DOH, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) will discuss the guidelines on border control for travelers from China.

“The IATF will discuss on the guidelines on how to deal with the COVID-19 resurgence in China, including our border control for Chinese travelers to the country, for recommendation and approval of the President,” it said.

The IATF is the government's policy-making body in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DOH said currently, foreign travelers who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are required to present a negative pre-departure antigen or RT-PCR test results before travel or upon arrival. 

In response to the surging cases, the United States, Italy, Japan, India and Malaysia have recently announced that they would increase health measures for travelers from China.

The lack of transparent data from China — particularly about viral genomic sequencing — is making it "increasingly difficult for public health officials to ensure that they will be able to identify any potential new variants and take prompt measures to reduce the spread," US officials said Tuesday.

India and Japan have already said they will impose mandatory PCR testing on all passengers from China. —with Agence France-Presse/KBK, GMA Integrated News