It’s the holiday season once again and despite the community restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the government is still expecting a lot of arrivals in the country.
To put the system into place, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) prepared for the homecoming of overseas Filipinos by reminding them of what they should do before and after they arrived in the Philippines.
The first thing to do is to register to E-CIF before their departure from their location.
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said that passengers should fill up the Electronic Case Investigation Form three days before their arrival in the country. This form is important to minimize the spread of COVID-19 into the Philippines through the country’s port of entry. Furthermore, doing so will ensure that anyone arriving in the country will be tested for COVID-19.
Before they deplane, passengers will undergo a temperature check and should be able to submit their Health Declaration Form.
Once they enter the holding area, the passengers will be segregated depending on whether they are land-based, sea-based, or non-OFW.
Swab testing
The next step is swab testing. However, passengers must first verify their complete information.
DOTr Undersecretary Raul del Rosario said that this is a very crucial step since any mistakes could lead to miscommunication when it comes to delivering the result of their RT-PCR test.
Once done, the passengers must submit their Arrival Cards before they should get their baggage.
Afterward, they should go to the station to help desks to receive additional information regarding the mandatory 14-day quarantine procedure they must undergo.
“Bago sila lumabas sa airport, dadaan sila sa mga help desk na nasa airport mismo. Dito po sila binibigyan ng mga kani-kanilang mga quarantine facility assignment,” Del Rosario said.
Land-based passengers must proceed to the help desk of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) while sea-based passengers shall be assisted by the Maritime Industry Authority.
