Manila relaxes rules to encourage local travel
MANILA: A government COVID-19 task force has approved the relaxation of strict cross border land, sea and air travels that have been imposed for nearly a year when the pandemic struck in order to encourage domestic trips, a top Malacanang Palace official revealed on Saturday.
Harry Roque, the presidential spokesman, said that under the rules, COVID-19 testing and quarantine are no longer mandatory for local travellers as approved by the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“We thank all the officials because we now have a common protocol for travel within the country which will be faster,” Roque told an online media briefing in Filipino.
He said the relaxation of the rules was agreed upon by officials of local government units like provincial governors as well as city and municipal mayors in a dialogue arranged by the Department of Interior and Local Government.
According to Roque, local officials had imposed varying quarantine rules like mandatory testing to help prevent the spread of the virus but which tended to discourage travel from one place to another.
With the unified travel protocols, COVID-19 testing is no longer required but local officials could still demand for a copy of the results, Roque said, adding the the new rules are to take effect 14 days ater their official publication in the Official Gazete.
In addition, Roque said it is also no longer mandatory for Filipinos to secure a travel authority from the Task Force COVID-19 Shield of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and even health certificates.
But even with the relaxation, Roque pointed out that officials are mandated to strictly enforce basic health protocols like the compulsory wearing of face masks and face shields as well as the observance of social distancing and the ban on mass gatherings.
Tourism Secretary Bernadete Romulo-puyat welcomed the decision, saying it would go a long way in encouraging domestic travel in an industry that has been ravaged by the pandemic.
This developed as Roque reported that President Duterte placed Metro Manila under the stricter general community quarantine (GCQ) along with other areas in the country with effect from March 1 to 31.