Quarantine Is Required for Travelers from Countries with New COVID-19 Variant Regardless of Test Results

Travelers arriving from countries with the new COVID-19 variant are required to undergo quarantine regardless of their RT-PCR result, the Philippines' chief contact-tracer said Monday.

Authorities are "closely monitoring" 117 individuals who arrived from the countries and "pwede mag-positive sila o negative, regardless of the result of the RT-PCR test, they have to undergo the 14-day quarantine," said Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.

The Philippines has banned the entry of travelers from 21 nations with confirmed cases of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant. The entry ban will last until January 15.

Travelers from countries that will report the presence of the new variant will subsequently be banned, authorities said.

According to the Department of Health, presence of the new variant has not been detected in the Philippines as of January 2. Positive RT-PCR samples submitted on Monday will be subjected to additional test to ascertain if it's the new variant.

More from EsquireMag.ph

We've Been in Lockdown So Long That the COVID-19 Generation Babies Have Been Born

Everything We Know About the New COVID-19 Strain (So Far)

COVID-19 Vaccines Need FDA Approval. Here's Why It's Important

COVID-19 Vaccine Prices, Efficacy, and Safety Compared

This story originally appeared on Reportr.World. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.