Any person entering the Philippines including tourists and returning Filipinos will be required to undergo at least six days of quarantine at an accredited hotel upon arrival in the country as the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases amended quarantine protocols, said Department of Tourism Undersecretary Bong Benzon.

Benzon in an interview over station dyRD on Tuesday said the arriving passenger will be subjected to RT-PCR testing on the sixth day and will be allowed to go out of quarantine if the test yields a negative result.

The official explained that PCR test results are usually made available less than a day after swab samples are taken.

“Ang results come out very quickly, based on the reports that we received, the results can come out in less than 24 hours,” said Benzon.

The new quarantine protocol was imposed through IATF Resolution 98 which was issued last month.

Both the hotel accommodation and COVID-19 testing will be paid for by the arriving individual.

Benzon said accommodations for quarantine at a hotel need to be pre-booked prior to arrival.

The tourism official also clarified that the quarantine requirement applies to all including those who have already been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The new quarantine period is longer than the previous set duration which could last for less than six days.

Previously, those entering the country will be subjected to PCR testing upon arrival and will be required to stay at a hotel while waiting for the test result which usually took only five days to be released. (R. Tutas)