OFFICIALS of the government task force on Covid-19 solutions dismissed the decision of the Cebu province to allow the entry of unvaccinated foreign leisure travelers.
National Task Force against Covid-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez told reporters on Friday, “It’s immaterial what she’s saying ‘unvaccinated’ because everyone who comes here is vaccinated. That’s the requirement of the DOTr (Department of Transportation),” referring to Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s announcement that unvaccinated foreign travelers will be accepted in their province starting March 1.
The DOTr has ordered all airlines entering the Philippines to board only fully-vaccinated foreign tourists from visa-free countries, following the resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), and to require a negative result of an RT-PCR test taken within 48 of departure from their country of origin.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat added, “We follow the IATF, because all entry restrictions are with the national government, and it said only fully vaccinated foreigners will be allowed.” The Philippines reopened to foreign leisure travelers from visa-free countries starting February 10. She estimated about 1,000 foreign tourists have arrived since then. (See, “Canadian tourists are first through the PHL’s doors,” in the BusinessMirror, February 10, 2022.)
Boosters available for tourists
Both officials were on Boracay for the launch of Resbakuna Kids, a vaccination program of the national government, which aims to inoculate some 5,000 children between 5 and 11 years old on the island.
Also launched was the Resbakuna sa Botika at Watson’s pharmacy in Citimall in Station 3. The tourism chief said any tourist — foreign or local — can walk into Watson’s to get their booster shots.
Romulo Puyat said 12,956 rooms in 314 Department of Tourism-accredited hotels and resorts on the island are available for local and foreign guests alike.
Meanwhile, Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores assured tourists that it is easier now to enter Boracay, dubbed by international travel publications among the world’s best islands.
“That’s an old problem,” he said, referring to previous complaints of domestic tourists that it was difficult to secure a QR code to visit the island. “The QR code is auto-generated now. It’s easy, you just log in, and it’s okay, and you get the QR code. Because before we had to validate documents. So when we opened again, there are no complaints so far.”
Miraflores also lifted the requirement for negative RT-PCR test results before entering Boracay on February 1. An average of 2,000 tourists per day have been arriving on the island, compared to 500 per day, when the RT-PCR test requirement was reinstated on January 9 as Covid-19 cases exploded after the holidays.