TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Philippine government has recognized Taiwan's Digital COVID-19 Certificate and now allows vaccinated individuals coming from Taiwan to enter without quarantine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced on Thursday (June 9).

MOFA Spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that the Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) passed a resolution to accept the Digital COVID-19 Certificate and International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis issued by Taiwan, CNA reported. The task force sent a letter to the Philippine Bureau of Quarantine on June 7 to reiterate its decision.

MOFA welcomes and affirms the Philippine government's decision to protect the rights and interests of Taiwanese and foreign workers in Taiwan and improve travel convenience between the two countries, Ou said.

Ou pointed out that according to the latest relevant quarantine regulations in the Philippines, people who have been inoculated with 3 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, including Taiwan’s Medigen vaccine, do not need to present negative results of a PCR test within 48 hours, or an antigen test from a laboratory within 24 hours, before entering the Philippines. There is also no requirement to undergo quarantine.

Ou said that the mutual acceptance of vaccination certificates between Taiwan and the Philippines will not only help bilateral personnel exchanges but also help the two countries promote economic and trade recovery in the post-pandemic era. MOFA hopes Taiwan and the Philippines will continue to carry out substantive cooperation on medical and health-related issues, to jointly promote the well-being and convenience of the two peoples, Ou said.