Philippines should/ should not end quarantine for international travellers

Sophia F.

 It’s no secret that with the prolonging pandemic, travellers, whether it be domestic or international, have been made to quarantine. This is simply the right thing to do, to ensure the safety of others. The DOH has said that two weeks is enough for you to feel symptoms. They have also mentioned how to deal with this two week quarantine period to prevent undetected cases of covid from being spread. 

When travellers arrive in the Philippines, they should be able to make a choice where they want to quarantine whether in a government facility or hotel. After making that decision, they should immediately be brought to their chosen facility just in case they have caught Covid in the plane or airport. The reason why two weeks is the suggested time period is that it takes up to 14 days for symptoms to show. After the 2 week period is done, you will be tested and if it is negative, you’ll be allowed to leave the quarantine facility. This is all necessary to prevent the risk of spreading Covid to the citizens of the Philippines. Travelers should not argue with the government about this rule because this is only to ensure the safety of everyone. After two weeks, international travelers will be allowed to go around freely with the basic covid guidelines.

Even if you have proof of a negative PCR test at arrival, you may have contracted the virus from the plane or the airport. Staying in an enclosed location with no contact with other people, besides the people you travelled with, will make sure that you are free from the virus and able to get released from quarantine. In my opinion, this is a necessary rule that the government has implemented to ensure the safety of others and their own.

Luca T.

It's no secret that with the prolonged pandemic travelers, whether it be domestic or international, have been made to quarantine. However, international travelers should not be held to the same quarantine guidelines. Rather than a quarantine to have a different set of guidelines, These guidelines can include being vaccinated and frequently being tested. Also forms within Asian travelers should be able to make documents that are understandable by all countries.

The Philippines government with their current guidelines has made it so that if  a traveller has not vaccinated here in the Philippines then the traveler must quarantine for longer. This is inefficient as there is no reason for someone who is vaccinated in a different country to quarantine more than a person that was administered a vaccine in the Philippines.  

A revision of guidelines could be more beneficial. These guidelines could include taking a test before departing a country  and another on the third day of quarantine. Upon receiving a negative Covid test traveller is able to go out. This can be adjusted for non-vaccinated travellers as well with testing on the seventh day of quarantine.