🕓 Last Updated: June 6, 2023, 12:16 pm (PH time)
Takeaway: PH to heighten COVID-19 alerts for travelers from China
The Department of Health (DOH) has warned the country to heighten monitoring and inspection of all travelers from China, said the “extremely urgent” department memorandum released on Dec. 31, 2022.
The memorandum declares that there is an urgent need for the Philippines to intensify the monitoring and implementation of border control protocols at all ports of entry for travelers from China.
President Marcos said, Thursday, that incoming Chinese travelers might require to undergo COVID-19 testing. The DOH, as well, two days ago said that there is no need to implement more stringent restrictions targeted at travelers from China. The department further said that existing health protocols and strengthened surveillance systems are adequate.
Meanwhile, a growing list of countries has now been imposing new COVID-19 measures for travelers from China. Countries like Japan, India, Italy, Malaysia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and the United States have declared scaling up their protocols following the surging outbreak of COVID-19 cases in China as it abandoned its “zero-COVID” policy. RQJ
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated organization, employer, or institution. The author bears sole responsibility for the content.
Regel Javines is the founder and editor of Philippine Pundit. Born in Leyte and shaped by struggle, he writes truth from the margins—where politics, faith, and life converge. A blogger since 2011, his work has appeared on global citizen journalism platforms. He currently serves as a consultant for the House of Representatives’ Congressional Assistance, Response, and Education (CARE) Program and as a Project Development Officer II at the DSWD.