Portugal added to PH red list due to COVID-19 risks

Portugal has been classified as a "red" list country by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) due to high COVID-19 infection risks, effective December 12.

Travelers arriving from Portugal between December 12 and December 15 will be subject to a 14-day facility-based quarantine, including an RT-PCR test on the seventh day, and must complete the full quarantine even with a negative result.

Starting December 15, all passengers coming from or who have been to Portugal in the last 14 days will be prohibited from entering the Philippines, regardless of vaccination status, with exceptions for specific repatriation efforts and Bayanihan Flights.

With Portugal's addition, the Philippines now has 16 territories on its red list.

New protocols for fully vaccinated Filipinos arriving from red-listed countries include presenting a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to flight, undergoing facility-based quarantine with an RT-PCR test on the seventh day, and observing home quarantine until the 14th day if discharged with a negative test.