New testing and quarantine protocols to take effect on February 1
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on January 26, 2021 adopted the following testing and quarantine protocols, effective February 1, 2021, for all persons who shall be allowed entry to the Philippines.
Arriving passengers, regardless of their origin, shall be required to undergo facility-based quarantine upon arrival. They shall then undergo RT-PCR test on the fifth day from their date of arrival in the country, unless the passenger shows symptoms at an earlier date while on quarantine.
Once a passenger tested negative, the passenger shall be endorsed to the local government unit of destination where the passenger shall continue the remainder of the fourteen-day quarantine under the strict monitoring of the LGU.
Appropriate patient management shall be observed as outlined in the guidelines of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health Omnibus Guidelines on Prevention, Detection, Isolation, Treatment and Reintegration Strategies for COVID-19.
Also in yesterday’s meeting, the IATF postponed the relaxation of the age-based restrictions in areas under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) in compliance with the directive of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Meanwhile, to ensure the accurate, timely and efficient distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccines, the IATF authorized the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to perform actions necessary to procure the services of a qualified third-party service provider to cater to all services pertaining to the design approval, IT project implementation, and service management of the Philippine COVID-19 Vaccine Information Management System (VIMS).
The DICT is likewise given authority to formulate the standards to ascertain the qualifications of the third-party service provider in undertaking the required services in the VIMS.
The functions of the Philippine COVID-19 VIMS shall include Citizen Vaccination Capture and Automation; Provide Management and Automation; Supply Chain Management; and VIMS Dashboarding, Reporting, and Analytics. It shall be the key process automation and data capture, storage, processing, and analytics system for the immunization and administration and supply chain management of the COVID-19 vaccines. ###
