In an interview with Malaya Business Insight, DOT’s Puyat said allowing leisure travel for all ages from the NCR Plus to MGCQ areas will surely help local tourism get back on track towards recovery.
RESIDENTS of areas placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) may now travel for leisure, or even do staycation in areas placed under the less-restrictive modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
This is according to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF-EID) Resolution No. 118-A issued last May 31.
On Monday, the government announced that NCR Plus (Metro Manila plus Rizal, Cavite, Laguna and Bulacan) will still be under GCQ up to June 15.
Also under GCQ are Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Tacloban City, Iligan City, Davao City, Lanao del Sur, Quezon and popular summer destinations Baguio City and Batangas.
Placed under the stricter modified enhanced communit quarantine (MECQ) were Santiago City, Cagayan, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Puerto Princesa City, Ilioilo City, Cagayn de Oro City, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Butuan City and Agusan del Sur.
All the other areas in the country are under MGCQ.
Leisure travel from GCQ to GCQ areas are also allowed, but stricter measures are in place.
Tests still needed
According to the resolution, accommodation establishments (AEs) that have been issued with Certificate of Authority to Operate for Staycation (CAOS) may accommodate guests of all ages and may do other leisure activities which may include visits, sightseeing trips, strolling, dining and shopping, among others.
Travellers below 18 and above 65 years old shall be required to present a negative result from a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test — the gold standard for detecting novel coronavirus, causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) — taken not more than 72 hours prior to their check-in.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) reminds all leisure travelers to book their RT-PCR test only with COVID-19 testing laboratories licensed and accredited by the Department of Health.
For safety, AEs in areas under GCQ may accept bookings provided that guests will come from the same household, and only up to 30 percent of the venue capacity.
In areas under MGCQ, AEs may accommodate leisure guests without the same-household requirement and without restriction as to the venue capacity, provided that minimum public health standards are observed.
In Metro Manila, the CAOS-certified staycation hotels are Grand Hyatt Manila; Okada Manila; Shangri-La at The Fort, Manila; Nobu Hotel, Hyatt Regency Manila and Ní¼wa Manila in City of Dreams Manila; Solaire Resort and Casino; EDSA Shangri-La, Manila; Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites Manila; The Peninsula Manila; Aruga by Rockwell; Sheraton Manila Hotel; and Hilton Manila.
Vaccine passport not yet ok
In an interview with Malaya Business Insight, Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Dept. of Tourism Secretary, said that as much as many individuals in the Metro have received their first doses or have been fully inoculated against COVID-19, the plan to remove the RT-PCR testing requirement for vaccinated travelers is still not yet approved.
Ways of finding out the authenticity of vaccination cards will also be discussed with the IATF-EID which the DOT is part of, Puyat said.
Requiring a vaccination passport, which proves that travellers have been vaccinated against COVID-19, may be the new golden ticket in the future to gain access to public locations, but some countries do not consider this idea due to privacy concerns.
Puyat said other inter-zonal travel regulations set by the local government units (LGUs) concerned shall also apply.
Guests coming from the NCR Plus area may only undertake point-to-point travel, such that while pit stops or stopovers are allowed for eating and personal necessities, no side trips shall be made to other tourism destinations.
Acceptance of guests from outside of their zone, particularly those coming from NCR Plus, shall be subject to stricter protocols and restrictions imposed by the LGU where the AE is located.
The increased number of travelers, Puyat added, could help boost consumer spending, which in turn could hasten economic recovery.
“The DOT is doing whatever it can to help the industry and its stakeholders recoup their losses and ensure security and sustainability amid this pandemic,” Puyat said.
Puyat also said allowing leisure travel for all ages from the NCR Plus to MGCQ areas will surely help local tourism get back on track towards recovery.
With this, the DOT is looking forward to once again seeing tourism destinations welcome travelers from the NCR Plus.
“(But) Of course, this has to be done with utmost precaution,” Puyat stressed.
The DOT shall continue to strengthen its coordination with LGUs to ensure the strict compliance of health and safety protocols.
Puyat also urged travelers to practice responsibility to protect themselves and the communities in their chosen destinations.
Subsidized rt-pcr tests
Following the issuance of the latest IATF-EID resolution, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, DOT’s marketing and promotions arm headed by chief operating officer Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones, resumes the processing of applications and endorsements to University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) for the 50 percent RT-PCR subsidy for qualified domestic leisure tourists from June 1 to 15.
The subsidy program has earmarked P35.17 million for the whole year. TPB’s current agreement with UP-PGH and PCMC runs from January to June 2021, with the hospitals receiving P9.99 million and P8.70 million, respectively, benefiting 22,711 domestic travelers.
TPB is also set to ink a new memorandum of agreement with PCMC to extend the RT-PCR subsidy program from July 1 to December 31, 2021, to benefit 13,333 local tourists.
Puyat said the subsidy aims to encourage domestic travel by aiding the tourists in fulfilling the RT-PCR test requirement, and to enable them to visit their destination of choice at a lesser cost.
Al Fresco, Mice Allowed But…
Meanwhile, the IATF-EID said food preparation establishments — commissaries, restaurants and eateries — may operate with their indoor dine-in services at the venue or seating capacity of 30 percent, and with their al fresco or outdoor dine-in services at the venue or seating capacity of 50 percent.
Personal care services — beauty salons and parlors, barbershops and nail spas — may operate up to 40 percent venue or seating capacity. These establishments shall only provide services that can accommodate the wearing of face masks at all times by patrons/clients and service providers.
Meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) events in eligible venue establishments shall be allowed to resume up to 30 percent of venue capacity, while social events in the same establishments shall be allowed up to 10 percent of the venue capacity.
Outdoor tourist attractions shall remain allowed at 30 percent with strict adherence to minimum public health standards. Indoor tourist attractions, on the other hand, are still not allowed to operate.
