MANILA — It is not yet time to impose stricter rules for travelers from China, which is grappling with a new wave of COVID-19 infections, the Department of Health said Thursday.

According to DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, the Philippines is in a "much better position" against the lingering threat of COVID-19.

"Sa ngayon, base sa pananaw ng DOH, kasama ng aming mga eksperto, hindi pa ho tayo napapanahon o wala tayong nakikitang pangangailangan para magsara tayo ng borders to this specific country o 'di kaya ay magkaroon ng mas maigting na restrictions para sa bansang ito," she said in a press briefing.

(In DOH's view, it is not yet or we don't see the need to close our borders to this specific country or to impose stricter restrictions for this country.)

Vergeire made the remark in response to the recommendation of the Department of Transportation that visitors from China must undergo RT-PCR testing upon entering the Philippines.

"If we travel to Hong Kong, you need an RT-PCR [result], although there's no need to quarantine. But maybe, we should also adopt similar practices for passengers coming from areas where there is high COVID-19 cases," Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said on Wednesday.

"COVID is still there and we need to protect our citizens here," he added.

The pandemic task force will discuss proposed additional restrictions, Transportation Undersecretary Steven Pastor said on Thursday.

• Philippine task force to discuss possible COVID curbs for travelers from China

Vergeire said the country is still implementing strengthened surveillance and monitoring of passengers. Antigen test is also required for unvaccinated travelers, she added.

"Sa tingin natin, kumpiyansa pa rin tayo sa ngayon (we are still confident) that we can adequately guard our borders through these kind of policies that we have in the country," she said.

The health official noted that majority of Filipinos eligible for COVID-19 jabs are fully vaccinated.

"It is the direction of this administration that as much as possible restrictions should be at [a] minimal," Vergeire said. "We don't compromise health but also favor the opening up of economy."

• Global alarm grows over China's COVID-19 surge

The United States has announced mandatory COVID-19 testing for travelers from China as Beijing's sudden abandonment of tough measures to contain the coronavirus -- and surge in virus cases -- caused jitters around the world.

The US move came after Italy, India and Malaysia announced their own measures to protect against importing new COVID variants from China.

Japan also recently announced that all travelers from China must show a negative COVID-19 test on arrival or quarantine for 7 days.

Hospitals and crematoriums across China continue to be overwhelmed by the explosion of COVID-19 cases, which have hit the elderly especially hard.

• US to impose China COVID testing as virus surge jangles global nerves

The winter surge comes ahead of next month's lunar new year holidays, for which hundreds of millions of people are expected to travel to their hometowns to reunite with relatives.

The end of mass testing and the decision last week by China's National Health Commission to stop releasing an official daily COVID death toll made it harder to understand the extent of the outbreak.

Chinese health authorities are using data from online surveys, hospital visits, demand for fever medicines and emergency calls to "make up for shortcomings in (officially) reported figures", disease control official Yin Wenwu said at a press briefing Tuesday.

• Soaring China COVID cases increase risk of new variants: experts

Courtesy of DOH

— With a report from Agence France-Presse