IATF: No testing, quarantine needed for government personnel on official trips

MANILA, Philippines — Government officials and employees on official trips will not need to get tested for COVID-19 or follow quarantine protocols at their destination under a new policy by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The task force said in a resolution adopted Thursday that government personnel on official business would be allowed “unimpeded travel” to their destination, as long as they present valid IDs from their government agency, present an original or certified true copy of travel authority or order, pass symptom screening, and strictly comply with minimum public health standards.

No other requirements aside from the abovementioned are needed from government officials or employees travelling on official business, the IATF said, which adopted the policy to “ensure the unhampered performance of critical government service.”

The new policy stemmed from a request by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation for the IATF to prescribe standard and uniform health, quarantine and travel requirements for its employees and outsourced personnel officially deployed to carry out their business in place of COVID-19 protocols of local government units.

Previous task force pronouncements have already allowed movement of government personnel between areas of varying community quarantine levels. — Xave Gregorio