How now IATF eases limits on travel, business?

THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has eased restrictions on travel and business in a bid to set the country on a path to economic recovery amid the unabated rise in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.

The ban on travelers from India and nine other countries will be lifted effective September 6, Malacañang announced on Saturday.

The ban was part of measures to prevent the transmission of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. It was supposed to end on August 31 but was extended to September 5.

"President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to lift the current travel restrictions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia starting September 6, 2021," Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said in a statement.

International travelers coming from the abovementioned countries shall, however, comply with the appropriate entry, testing, and quarantine protocols, depending on the country's approved 'listing,'" he added.

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The IATF also approved the implementation of a granular lockdown system beginning September 8.

In a message to the media, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the granular lockdowns would be initially imposed in the National Capital Region, with other areas the following suit in the "next phase after September."

He said the guidelines were being finalized and will be officially issued by Malacañang "as soon as possible."

Color classifications

Roque, the concurrent spokesman of the IATF, said the task force approved the adoption of "yellow" and "red" classifications, in addition to the "Green List" countries/jurisdictions/territories.

He named 33 countries and jurisdictions that will be given green lane policy for arriving passengers "based on their respective incidence rates, case count and testing data." These include American Samoa, Anguilla, Australia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Chad, China, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Gabon, Grenada, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), Hungary, Mali, Federated States of Micronesia, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Poland, Saba, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Slovakia, and Taiwan.

The incidence rate is the cumulative new cases over the past 28 days per 100,000 population while case counts are cumulative new cases over the past 28 days," he added.

Roque said the IATF classified "yellow" and "red" list countries/jurisdictions/ territories as "moderate" and "high" risk, respectively.

Those on the yellow list are populations greater than 100,000, where the incidence rate shall be 50 to 500; and for populations less than 100,000, the Covid-19 case counts shall be 50 to 500; and testing rate of tests over the past 28 days per 100,000 population.

Those on the red list are populations greater than 100,000, where the incidence rate shall be more than 500; and for populations less than 100,000, the Covid-19 case counts shall be more than 500, and the testing rate of tests over the past 28 days per 100,000 population.

Roque said, "Inbound international travelers, regardless of their vaccination status, coming from or with travel history within the last 14 days before they arrived in the Philippines from yellow list' countries/jurisdictions/territories shall be governed by entry, testing, and quarantine protocols," he said.

First, Roque said these travelers should undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival, with the first 10 days to be completed in a quarantine facility and the remaining four days to be spent under home quarantine.

Second, Roque said they should undergo reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing on the seventh day, with their day of arrival serving as Day 1.

"Notwithstanding a negative test result, they have to complete their facility quarantine for 10 days," he added.

Roque said the Bureau of Quarantine should ensure strict symptom monitoring while quarantine for 10 days.

"The foregoing shall be subject to special protocols approved by the IATF or the Office of the President for certain classes of travelers or ports of origin," he added

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Meanwhile, Roque said those on the red list would "not be allowed to enter the Philippines" and that only Filipinos "returning to the country via government-initiated repatriation, nongovernment-initiated repatriation, and Bayanihan flights may be allowed, subject to entry, testing, and quarantine protocols."

Filipinos from red-listed places will undergo the same protocols for travelers from countries in the yellow list.

Malacañang has yet to publish a list of countries, jurisdictions, or territories under the yellow and red lists.

Granular lockdowns

Under the granular lockdown, some businesses will operate, which will be scaled depending on the specified level, Lopez said.

If the lockdown is precise, other parts of the area will be allowed to open businesses according to their specific level, the Department of Trade and Industry chief added.

Lopez believes that the granular lockdown approach will help the government recover from the economic losses and help bring back the livelihoods of Filipinos suffering from the impacts of the pandemic and the more contagious Delta variant.