MANILA — The Philippines has revised its COVID-19 testing and quarantine testing rules for travelers entering the country, Malacañang said on Friday.

Effective Oct. 8, fully vaccinated travelers from green and yellow countries need to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR testing taken on the 5th day, said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.

They shall then be required to undergo home quarantine until their 10th day, with the day of arrival as their first day, he said in a televised public briefing.

On the other hand, unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or individuals whose vaccination status cannot be verified "shall be required to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their RT-PCR testing taken on the seventh day," said Roque.

They shall then be required to undergo home quarantine until their 14th day, with the day of arrival as their first day, he added.

The Bureau of Quarantine shall ensure strict symptom monitoring while the individuals are in the facility, said the official.

In the case of foreign nationals, they shall be required to secure their own pre-booked accommodation of at least 6 days for the fully vaccinated; and at least 8 days for the unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or individuals whose vaccination status cannot be confirmed, Roque said.

Green and yellow countries are listed on this government web page.

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Roque said the COVID-19 task force also approved the following protocols for close contacts of probable, suspect and confirmed COVID-19 cases.

• Fully vaccinated close contacts may undergo a 7-day quarantine period provided they remain asymptomatic for the whole period.
• In the event that RT-PCR test needs to be performed on the asymptomatic individual, it may be done not earlier than the fifth day after the date of the last exposure.
• Should the RT-PCR test yield a positive result, or he/she becomes symptomatic, the individual shall follow the prescribed testing and isolation protocols.
• No testing and quarantine shall be required for close contacts who may have been traced beyond the seventh day from last exposure and who have remained asymptomatic.
• Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated close contacts shall undergo a 14-day quarantine.

The Philippines is fighting one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, with some 2.6 million overall infections and at least 38,937 deaths.