Quarantine shortened for returning Filipinos fully vaccinated for COVID-19
MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos abroad who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 will undergo a shorter quarantine period on their return to the country, Malacañang announced on Tuesday.
In a regular briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the individuals would now spend seven days in quarantine sites from the original 10 starting Thursday, July 1.
"Their date of arrival will serve as the first day of quarantine," he said in Filipino. "The Bureau of Quarantine will ensure strict symptom monitoring while they are in facilities."
Still, Roque added that the move will cover Filipinos complete with their shots who come from a list of "low-risk" countries or jurisdictions, which the Department of Health will issue.
The pandemic task force in Resolution 123-C said persons are considered fully inoculated if it has been two weeks or more after they completed their doses.
Vaccines administered should also be in either a list of jabs with emergency use approval or compassionate special permit by the Food and Drug Administration, or in the emergency use listing of the World Health Organization.
The local regulator has so far cleared eight jabs for EUA: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Gamaleya, Janssen, Sinopharm, Moderna and Bharat's Covaxin recently.
Roque said returning Filipinos in quarantine facilities would undergo RT-PCR testing on the fifth day.
If results turn out negative, he said they would still have to finish the seven days. If they are positive for COVID-19, Roque said they would have to follow the prescribed isolation protocols.
"This testing requirement that I have mentioned will go through a review 30 days after it is implemented," he added in Filipino.
The Palace spokesperson said individuals would get a quarantine certificate from the quarantine bureau after they complete the period.
Find the latest travel and tourism news from around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. Main image by AFP/Romeo Gacad
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The sector will also be back in the green, with net profits forecast to reach $9.8 billion in 2023, or double previous estimates, boosted by the end of China's Covid restrictions, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The association added that its 2022 losses were half as bad as previously estimated at $3.6 billion.
"Airline financial performance in 2023 is beating expectations," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement during the association's annual general meeting in Istanbul.
"Stronger profitability is supported by several positive developments. China lifted Covid-19 restrictions earlier in the year than anticipated," Walsh said. — AFP
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Cathay is still trailing regional rivals such as Singapore Airlines, with Hong Kong's axing of harsh pandemic curbs -- including mandatory hotel quarantine and strict testing requirements -- only beginning in the fall of last year.
The airline operated at one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity in December but expects to reach 70% of that figure by the end of 2023, the company says. — AFP
German airline giant Lufthansa says Friday it returned to annual profit in 2022 after two years of losses, its fortunes lifted by rebounding demand as economies reopened after COVID-19 shutdowns.
The group reported a net profit of 791 million euros ($839 million) for last year. This compares to a net loss of 2.2 billion euros in 2021 and 6.7 billion euros in 2020.
"Lufthansa is back," says the company's CEO Carsten Spohr. — AFP
People hoping to take advantage of a Hong Kong scheme to give away half a million free airline tickets face hours-long online queues on Wednesday, as the Asian financial hub bids to woo tourists back.
The city last month launched a campaign to reboot its reputation as "Asia's world city", after years of strict pandemic-related travel restrictions and a crackdown on sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong became one of the last places in the world to drop its outdoor mask mandate, which city leader John Lee said was a sign that it was "resuming normalcy". — AFP
Australian airline Qantas says Thursday it bounced back into profit in late 2022, hailing a "huge turnaround" after swallowing massive losses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national carrier posted a second-half profit of Aus$1.43 billion (US$974 million) before tax, after accumulating Aus$7 billion in losses across the previous three years.
Chief executive Alan Joyce says surging demand for flights had boosted the company's fortunes while announcing a plan to buy back Aus$500 million in Qantas shares. — AFP
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