Now that both governments in the Philippines and Australia are starting to talk about ‘opening up their borders’, there seems to be all this excitement about the prospect of visiting your loved ones in Australia or the Philippines.
A word of caution. Be very careful about your next decision.
I have been watching closely the events unfolding and for those Australian Citizens eager to travel to the Philippines with pre-existing medical conditions, I would say think many times before you do travel anytime soon.
With all due respect, the medical services and facilities in the Philippines are were stretched and as they recover from this lengthy crisis, they too need time and resources to recover and come back up to speed to provide a standard of care, if you do get into a medical emergency, anywhere in the Philippines.
For dual citizens of Australia and the Philippines, they may have a ‘false sense of security’ in that they have extended family members that live there, however, they too are under the same stretched conditions in terms of medical care in the Philippines as are Australian citizens, who may not have the family connection in the Philippines.
During the recent OMICRON surge in Australia, the medical facilities were easily overwhelmed and this is also the case in the Philippines.
Flights to and from the Philippines from Australia may also prove a challenge and the process of clearing immigration and additional medical requirements upon arrival in the Philippines have not been ‘clearly explained’, as of this time.
Yes, it is claimed that as long as you are fully vaccinated you don’t have to quarantine but what happens if you arrive and you do Test Positive to OMICRON, what happens next and how much will all that cost?
It may be prudent, especially if you do have other pre-existing medical conditions, to perhaps ease back for another 30 days or so days and ensure that there is ‘hard evidence that in fact, the coast is clear and that you have contingency plans on what to do if in fact, you do get into a medical emergency’.
I have a large on-going concern in the Philippines and I am also eager to return to the Philippines but I know from the feedback of our TEAM MEMBERS there are still many aspects of traveling to the Philippines that still need to be ironed out and the process simplified and clearly articulated.
But the ultimate decision would be if there is enough capacity in their health service for any possible emergency scenarios. The answer to that is the key to a safer and healthier trip to the Philippines and perhaps reading the actual government health advice and domestic travel and possible restriction, may also assist in your final decision to have MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES.
