The Department of Health (DoH) on Monday confirmed that its Bureau of Quarantine (BoQ) is conducting “thorough screening” at entry points of the country.

The DoH confirmed the issuance of Bureau Memorandum 2024-48 dated 24 May, wherein 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.

“We are facing a new Covid-19 strain that has the KP.1 and KP.2 variations, which are part of a newly-discovered subvariant identified as ‘FLiRT,’ a novel virus that is spreading globally,” the memorandum read.

The KP.1 and KP.2 variants came from the JN.l subvariant, which first became known in late 2023 and was responsible for this year’s earlier infection increase.

“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,” it also read.

The DoH reminded travelers to complete the health questionnaire available on the e-travel application.

Meanwhile, for those who develop signs and symptoms of Covid-19, home isolation is advised.

“We appreciate the public’s heightened interest in BoQ operations to protect our population — as you can see, DoH delivers,” the DoH said.

“To avoid possible misinformation and fake news, please get announcements only from the verified DoH social media channels, or mainstream media. There is no need to forward internal documents,” it added.

On Monday, the Manila International Airport Authority expressed its support for the efforts to prevent the spread of the FLiRT Covid variant in the country.

According to the airport authority, in a recent memorandum, the BoQ imposed heightened alert surveillance for all arriving tourists, which included strict screening at all points of entry. The same memorandum urges the general public to take basic health precautions against infectious diseases. Completing the health questionnaire during e-Travel registration is also a useful source of information for quarantine authorities.