As part of its biweekly updates, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has released its new country risk classification lists or the green, yellow, and red lists for the period of Nov. 16 to 30, 2021.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque enumerated in a pre-taped video the countries on the green list, which are nations and jurisdictions classified as low risk based on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) incidence rate and case count.
As such, travelers coming from these countries are made to accomplish less stringent quarantine protocols upon arriving in the Philippines.
On the green list are American Samoa, Bhutan, Chad, China (Mainland), Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Federated States of Micronesia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), India, Indonesia, Japan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, South Africa, Sudan, Taiwan, Togo, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Faroe Islands and the Netherlands are the only two areas that are currently on the red list, according to Roque.
Only Latvia was previously classified under the red list, which indicated that the country was considered high risk for COVID-19 based on incidence rate and case count.
All other countries, territories, and jurisdictions not placed on either the green or red lists are under the yellow list, or nations tagged as moderate risk for COVID-19 based on the same metrics.
The IATF also approved the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the national COVID-19 vaccination certificates of Australia, Czech Republic, Georgia, India, Japan, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Turkey, and Samoa to be accepted or recognized for purposes of arrival quarantine protocols, as well as for interzonal/intrazonal movement.
The said recommendation is in addition to such other countries/territories/jurisdictions whose proofs of vaccination the IATF already approved for recognition in the Philippines, and without prejudice to such other proofs of vaccination approved by IATF for all inbound travelers.
Accordingly, the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), the Department of Transportation-One-Stop-Shop (DOTr-OSS), and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) are directed to recognize only the proofs of vaccination that have been approved by the IATF.