MANILA, Philippines – Passengers who have just arrived from other countries are the top priority for Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) quarantine officers.

This policy came to force after the issuance of a Bureau of Quarantine (BoQ) of the Department of Health (DoH) memorandum instructing quarantine personnel, as well as other government agencies stationed at airports nationwide to increase alertness for the Covid FLiRT variant.

"We are facing a new Covid-19 strain that has the KP.1 and KP.2 variations, which are part of a newly discovered sub-variants identified as 'FLiRT', a novel virus that is spreading globally," the BoQ memorandum said.

It further said that the virus came from the JN.1 subvariant, which first became known in late 2023, and was responsible for this year's earlier infection increase.

"In light of this, all stations have been directed to conduct thorough screening at Points of Entry for arriving visitors originating from countries where Covid FLiRT incidents have been detected. The general public should take basic health measures such as frequent hand washing, coughing etiquette, avoiding crowded situations and getting in contact with people with flu-like symptoms," the BoQ said.

The BoQ memorandum, which was issued on May 24, 2024 also advised all travelers to fill out the health questionnaire that is accessible on the e-travel application.

For those who develop signs and symptoms of Covid-19, home isolation is advised. For any concerns, reach out to the Department of Health at (02) 8651-7800 or 894-Covid.

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