New Omicron variant
GOVERNMENT authorities would do well to again isolate arriving foreigners following the reported first case of Omicron sublineage BA.2.12 in the Philippines.
No less than Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of the highly-influential Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), issued the call during a radio interview Thursday.
The lady PCP president urged concerned government authorities to implement anew quarantine measures so that exposure among travelers would be limited.
Reports listed a 52-year-old Finnish woman as the first case of Omicron sublineage BA.2.12 in the country. Asymptomatic and fully vaccinated, she arrived in Manila on April 2
She had close interaction with 44 individuals in the country before she left the Philippines on April 21.
Starting last February, fully-vaccinated travelers from visa-free countries were allowed to enter the Philippines without having to undergo quarantine.
All members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 157 other countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, are considered visa-free.
However, the government requires travelers from these countries to present a negative RT-PCR test or a negative antigen test if they want to enter the Philippines.
In the view of many, concerned government authorities, notably health officials, are committed to ensure the health and safety of the more than 110 million Filipinos.
Alam na alam ng mga otoridad ang gagawin para hindi kumalat sa bansa ang mga sumusulpot na bagong variant ng nakamamatay na coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
