Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21) — The country will retain its existing border restrictions after the Department of Health confirmed four new cases of the more transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant, Malacañang said on Monday.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told a media briefing that the government will continue to impose the mandatory 10-day facility-based quarantine on inbound travelers, who will be required to undergo RT-PCR testing on the seventh day.
Exempted are those fully vaccinated in the Philippines, as they will be subject to a shorter seven-day quarantine beginning June 22. The swab test will only be conducted if they exhibit flu-like symptoms during the period of isolation.
A ban on travelers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates is also in place until June 30 to prevent the entry of more individuals infected with the variant first identified in India.
In a separate press conference, Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is no need to revise current border controls, although enforcement must be beefed up.
The country has now detected a total of 17 cases of the Delta variant.
However, Philippine Genome Center executive director Cynthia Saloma said they have not yet seen community transmission.
