MANILA, January 2 ------ The Department of Health is stepping up efforts to monitor travelers from China, which is grappling with a surge in COVID-19 infections.
In a statement, the health agency ordered quarantine authorities to bolster safety protocols. "To strengthen its existing measures, the DOH directed the Bureau of Quarantine to intensify quarantine protocols such as heightened surveillance on all respiratory symptoms in all travelers and conveyances coming from China," the DOH said. The BOQ must conduct a thorough review of Maritime Declaration of Health and health part of the Aircraft General Declaration, it added.
The health agency also ordered the BOQ to report symptomatic and COVID-positive travelers during arrival. "The DOH will continue to monitor global situation and will announce further developments in the coming days," it said. The country's pandemic task force will discuss possible COVID-19 rules for people arriving from China. "The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases will discuss on the guidelines on how to deal with the COVID-19 resurgence in China, including our border control for Chinese travelers to the country, for recommendation and approval of the President," the DOH said. To date, unvaccinated foreign travelers are required to present a negative pre-departure antigen or RT-PCR test results before travel or upon arrival.
In a press briefing, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said there's no need yet to impose restrictions on travelers from China. "Sa ngayon, base sa pananaw ng DOH, kasama ng aming mga eksperto, hindi pa ho tayo napapanahon o wala tayong nakikitang pangangailangan para magsara tayo ng borders to this specific country o 'di kaya ay magkaroon ng mas maigting na restrictions para sa bansang ito," she said. Restrictions some countries have introduced in response to China's COVID-19 surge are "understandable", given the lack of information from Beijing, according to the World Health Organization. China's National Health Commission said last week it would no longer release an official daily COVID death toll. Health risk analysis firm Airfinity said it currently estimates 9,000 daily deaths and 1.8 million infections per day in China, while it also expects 1.7 million fatalities across the country by the end of April 2023.
The Britain-based researchers said its model was based on data from China's regional provinces, before changes to reporting infections were implemented, combined with case growth rates from other former zero-COVID countries when they lifted restrictions.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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