The Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) has appealed to the public to only apply for a “yellow card” if they are already scheduled to travel abroad.
BOQ Director Dr. Roberto Salvador Jr. made the statement in a public briefing Monday, Aug. 30, to ensure that individuals who have an immediate schedule to travel overseas will have a slot in getting the said document.
“Nakikiusap kami doon sa mga gustong kumuha ng yellow card na kung maaari ang kukuha lang muna ay iyong talagang mga paalis na (We appeal to those who want to get a yellow card that if possible the only ones who will get it first are those who are really leaving),” Salvador said.
As for those who cannot get a slot, but they need to obtain the document right away, the BOQ official advised them to book whatever date available, then proceed to the BOQ so that they could be assisted.
“Mayroon kaming express lane doon sa mga talagang totoong makakapagpakita na paalis na sila, like iyong mga OFW (We have an express lane for those who can really show that they are leaving, like for Overseas Filipino Workers),” he said.
The International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis (ICV) or yellow card is a vaccination card that provides details of the diseases that a person has been vaccinated against, Salvador explained.
He noted that the document is recognized by 196 countries, which are signatories with the World Health Organization (WHO).
The agency had earlier appealed to the public to refrain from applying for a yellow card if they do not have a scheduled trip abroad.
“Sa ngayon po ay hindi po natin sila ini-encourage na kumuha ng yellow card kung hindi po gagamitin sa labas ng bansa (Right now, we are not encouraging them to get a yellow card if they are not going to use it for international travel),” said Salvador.
“Kasi po, sobrang dami po nang gustong kumuha ng yellow card, nawawalan po ng slot iyong mga talaga pong aalis na papunta sa ibang bansa (There are too many people who want to get a yellow card and those who are actually going to travel to another country are losing their slots),” he added.