Entry of a US Citizen as of Jan 29

[DaveB]

So...I'm baaack...but it had its moments getting here.  Wanted to provide one person's trip experience engaging the COVID entry rules as of the Jan 22 guidance, to wit: the part that Philippine citizens can once again enter with their spouses and dependent children.  Near as I can tell, I may one of the first few to pull it off, and, as I'll explain later, might be the very first to enter via Clark.  Along the way, some lessons learned dancing around the various COVID restrictions in various touch points and reconciling them with immigration and travel rules.

First...wanna mention that my wife and I took a VERY circuitous route getting here, and we did it on fairly short notice.  We had gone to the US for the holidays and to ship our balikbayan boxes we had in storage now that we had an address in Angeles City.  We had a flight back booked on Jan 8, and it had to be cancelled when the Philippines shut off travel from the US on the 5th.  So we sat tight while the restriction was extended to the 31st, and along came the update on the 22nd.  We jumped on it and left on the 27th.  We went from Seattle to New York to Dubai and finally to Clark Field.  We did that weird route because we were using my wife's mileage plan account and we were dead set on flying into Clark, which is about 10 minutes from our house...so both of those really limited our flight choices.  I only mention all that because along the way I bumped into some quirks that I might not have otherwise encountered, but someone else in the future might, so wanted to pass those along too.

First...New York and Dubai both have similar restrictions requiring proof of a negative COVID test in order to enter, followed by a quarantine period.  So we did some checking to make sure, but those do not apply to travelers who are just transiting through the airport.  The restrictions pertain to people who actually ENTER New York or Dubai.  If you stay in the airport and are just there to catch a plane, you haven't actually "Entered".  Problem is, the actual airline ticket agents that check you in and give you a boarding pass don't always know that.  We twice had to educate them so they'd issue our ticket - and hung about a bit while they confirmed that subtlety.  We started on Alaska Airlines and transferred to Emirates in New York.  We had to update the ticket agent for Alaska that the government had changed the blanket US restriction to allow spouses to accompany a Philippine National.  Lesson Learned: this stuff bounces around a lot - double check rules before you go so you are aware and can explain the latest version.  Handy to print out announcements to show people, just in case.

Note you need to book a quarantine hotel room for at least five days - I booked for a week in case testing results take a while to get back (you pay at checkout for actual days used).  You can go to the Dept of Health website and get a list of approved hotels for your point of entry.  I then go to their individual websites (when they have one - if they don't have one, I stay away from them.  It's a red flag that it is likely a low end hotel.)  I send them emails asking about rates and food programs and then pick the one I want and get the reservation in place.  Last October when I flew in, and again this time, the hotel wanted a deposit up front.  That might just be a quirk of the ones I picked...but I wired them the deposit to their bank account.  First hotel I contacted insisted I needed two rooms because the government is only allowing one person per room.  The second one, and the one I selected, was willing to book a double occupancy, single room.  I leaped to the conclusion that the single person room was a requirement for the rooms that the government contracted for OFWs, and being 1200 miles away, it was hard to work details.  So I took the simple solution.  I then printed out that reservation confirmation as it's a document you are supposed to show upon entry.

As I worked through the paperwork screening in Clark, I ended up discussing my hotel with the Health Dept agent in charge.  Turns out, no double occupancy allowed even if you're married.   Only exceptions are if it is a case of someone caring for an invalid.  I showed her the discussion emails I'd had with my hotel, including twice confirming I had a double occupancy room, and she stated they were wrong.  She then called them, sorted out reservations, and my hotel bill doubled - 2 rooms instead of one.  I don't have any animosity toward her - she helped and was sympathetic but had rules to follow.  It was just a weird load to lay on top of sleep deprivation and jet lag.  I"m now here in my room and my wife is 5 rooms down from me.  We wave at each other when we're both out on our respective balconies.  Lesson Learned: 2 rooms needed for your quarantine, regardless of your status.

(You may hear some info that the Philippine government pays for the hotel.  they do...IF you are an OFW (Overseas Foreign Worker) coming home, If you are traveling privately, you pay your own bill for the hotel and testing.)

Next stop: cashier.  Have to pay for the testing.  When I did this in Manila last October, each test cost 4500 pesos and they took credit cards.  This time, each test cost 2000 pesos and they only take cash.  If someone has gone through a different point of entry, they can comment on what they paid.  I was told it's a government set cost.  Anyway...you will be paying for 2 rounds of testing: one there in the airport, and then one more five days into your quarantine.  They come to your room on day five and test you again.  So, you are paying for two tests per person - 4000 pesos per person.  Conveniently, they have a money changer next to the cashier, but I did not see an ATM in that lounge.  Lesson Learned:  have cash to exchange to cover the testing costs...not sure what happens if you don't.

The COVID test itself is more thorough.  In October it was a single swab up the nostrils.  Now it's a swab down your throat followed by a swab up your nostrils...and repeat both of those one more time.  (Not sure why they do it twice - my warped mind concluded the first one was to clean you out so the second one can get to the good stuff).  Whatever.

Then on to immigration...and the fun began.  The immigration agent who screened my passport did not have any knowledge of the Citizen-with-spouse change announced on Jan 22.  So she reacted that I was still a traveler from a banned country and couldn't enter.  So we told her about the update and what ensued was a lot of back and forth discussion with others in her office.  Then suddenly she stamped my passport with an entry indicating I was to stay until March 29...in other words, she used my 9A tourist visa 60 day entry.  I asked about the balikbayan stamp, but got nothing back but "March 29" and a direct look - no further explanation or anything- in a manner that said the topic was closed.  Took my addled brain a minute to figure out what had happened.  It was after hours, and she couldn't contact anyone in authority to confirm the spouse allowance, so she took it on herself to cut me a break and let me in on the basis of my visa...and I would be well served to shut up, and not look a gift horse in the mouth.  Once that dawned on me, I smiled, said thank you and got the hell out of there.  From all this, I am concluding that I might just be the first one to enter Clark under the changed rules - and BI communication to their agents might be a bit sketchy.  Lesson Learned:  You don't have to just take the first answer, but you need to plead your case calmly and politely - enter into a discussion, not an argument.  I was likely lucky to have a reasonable agent who was willing to try and find a way to help me...can't always count on that.  Spooky episode.

So...we're one day into our quarantine.  Testing is remarkably efficient.  We checked in last night, and this morning our airport test results were back.  In five days we get the next test and, if it comes back as quickly, we'll have been here for six days.  It's my understanding that, if the second one is negative, we can go to our house and finish out the 14 day quarantine there with self-quarantine (though I've also heard 10 days - have to confirm which).  

Has anyone else tried to travel under the provisions of the Jan 22 guidance update?  Am wondering what it was like at different points of entry.

 

 

 

[Old55]

Thanks for the detailed travel information Dave. 

It's 42 degrees heavy clouds with cold drizzle here south of Seattle this morning. 

[KC813]

10 hours ago, DaveB said:

We had to update the ticket agent for Alaska that the government had changed the blanket US restriction to allow spouses to accompany a Philippine National.  Lesson Learned: this stuff bounces around a lot - double check rules before you go so you are aware and can explain the latest version.  Handy to print out announcements to show people, just in case.

 

Dave-  What an odyssey!  How did you convince the Alaska desk agent?  I hear stories all the time of airline check in agents taking so long to confirm travel eligibility that the traveler eventually misses the flight.

[Clermont]

12 hours ago, DaveB said:

You don't have to just take the first answer, but you need to plead your case calmly and politely - enter into a discussion, not an argument. 

Dave thanks for the info and for all the argumentive type out there, see what can be achieved when not in an argumentive mood. 

[Heeb]

Thanks, we will be going back in June or July so I hope I can get a balikbayan stamp again when we return, I'm on 9a tourist as well, I'll probably just fly to Manila.

[DaveB]

20 hours ago, Old55 said:

It's 42 degrees heavy clouds with cold drizzle here south of Seattle this morning. 

By the way...a little off topic for this post, but speaking of weather - what the heck is going on here?  I've been traveling back and forth to the Philippines off and on for over 30 years.  I've never seen weather this cool.  It's been in the 70s at night and in the low 80s during the day and very low humidity.  Filipinos are wearing coats in the morning and my maid has been complaining about how cold it is.  It's more like an early summer day in Seattle.  It's kinda weird.

Well...I spent 3 weeks in snow in Spokane, so I'm not complaining, but I've never seen this in the Philippines.

[Terry P]

20 hours ago, Clermont said:

Dave thanks for the info and for all the argumentive type out there, see what can be achieved when not in an argumentive mood. 

Well done Clermont

Much more fun to have a good old tear up though

[softail]

Thanks for the great info, Myself and my wife have basically been stranded here south of Seattle since last May. We have been waiting out the quarantine restrictions that the Philippines have put in place. Here in Seattle I can go where I want with basically no restrictions. At my age, in the Philippines I would basically have to quarantine in my home and watch TV all day.

[DaveB]

6 hours ago, TerryP said:

Much more fun to have a good old tear up though

 

[DaveB]

Yeah...but when you're on one side of the immigration booth trying to get to the other side...best to be on your best behavior.  Some tense moments there.