Quarantine and testing of off-signers

10 May 2021 / Philippines

Please be guided on the following changes in the conduct of crew changes of disembarking seafarers, regardless of nationality:

1. On the day of disembarkation, seafarers shall proceed to the One-Stop Shop (OSS) facility for briefing and verification of documents. All seafarers must be briefed properly on the latest safety and health procedures of the national government, as well as their rights and responsibilities throughout the process.

2. Thereafter, seafarers shall proceed to the OWWA-designated or BOQ-accredited facility for the quarantine proper and the RT-PCR testing on the seventh (7th) day, with Day 1 being the day of arrival in the facility. Notwithstanding a negative test result, seafarers must complete the facility-based quarantine period of ten days.

3. The concerned OSS, in coordination with its designated/authorized molecular laboratory, must guarantee that swabbing will be done at exactly the seventh day and results to be delivered on the ninth (9th) day.

4. Immediately upon receipt of test results, the local port agent or licensed manning agency (LMA) representative must coordinate with Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) regarding the transport arrangements of Filipino seafarers bound to their home provinces.

5. Day of release from the quarantine facility shall be standardized on the tenth (10th) day regardless of the seafarers’ nationality.

6. The local port agent or LMA representative must guarantee that the Filipino seafarers will be transported via Point-to-Point Scheme and that they shall report directly to the Rural Health Unit (RHU) in their respective provinces for the completion of the remainder of their fourteen (14) day quarantine.

The above procedures shall be effective 0001H 08 May 2021 and shall continue to be enforced unless otherwise revoked.

(For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in the Philippines, contact GAC Philippines at [email protected])

Source: Republic of the Philippines’ Department of Transportation notice dated 7 May 2021

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