The Philippines will remain under alert level 2 from Jan. 1 until Jan. 15, 2022, Malacañang announced on Thursday, Dec. 30.
All provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities in the country will remain under alert level 2 during the period as per the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), said Cabinet Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles in a statement.
Nograles also serves as IATF spokesperson. The body decided to retain the country’s alert level 2 classification for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during a meeting Wednesday, Dec. 29.
The pandemic task force also updated the risk classification of other countries effective Jan. 1 to Jan. 15, 2022.
Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Spain shall be under the red list.
Under the green list are Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, China (Mainland), Cote d’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Fiji, The Gambia, Guinea, Hong Kong (Chinese Special Administrative Region), Indonesia, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Montserrat, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands), Saint Barthelemy, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Taiwan, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Uganda, and United Arab Emirates.
All other countries/territories /jurisdictions not mentioned above shall be under the yellow list, Nograles said.
Meanwhile, the IATF also approved the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to accept the national COVID-19 vaccination certificate of passengers from certain countries for purposes of arrival quarantine protocols as well as for interzonal/intrazonal movement.
These countries include Armenia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Kuwait, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United States of America (USA), and Oman.
"This 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 the IATF for all inbound travelers," the IATF said.
With this, the Bureau of Quarantine, the Department of Transportation – One Stop Shop and the Bureau of Immigration were directed to recognize only the proofs of vaccination approved by the IATF.