ADVISORY

On the Chinese Government’s requirement for all China-bound passengers to obtain negative Nucleic Acid testing (NAT) results within five (5) days prior to boarding, following are the guidance provided by the DOH relative to domestic NAT Capacity;

1. Nucleic Acid testing (NAT) Capacity. Official and public data on NAT capacity among other COVID-19-related information, may be accessed through the DOH COVID-19 Tracker at < https://ncovtracker.doh.gov.ph/ >

1. 2.Policies for Conducting NAT. Relevant guidelines governing NAT for international travelers and foreign nationals are provided in DOH Department Memorandum (DM) 2020-0200, i.e., the “Omnibus Interim Guidelines for the Quarantine and Testing Procedures for All Arriving Overseas Filipinos and Foreign National During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic”.

1. 3.Authorized NAT Institutions for International Travelers.All laboratories capable of RT-PCR testing may be utilized for the conduct for NAT for international travelers and foreign nationals, following relevant rules and regulations, including said DM 2020-0258, as well as DM 2020-0258-A (i.e., “Updated Interim Guidelines on Expanded Testing for COVID-19”) as amended. Item II.h.ii. of the latter issuance also contains a provision on optional testing for foreign nationals entering tourism zones. [END]