Bataan: No QR, no entry
All entry points in Bataan province will require quick response (QR) codes to stop the surge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The provincial Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), chaired by Governor Albert Garcia, approved the resolution “to monitor all those entering the province and maintain the safety not only of authorized persons outside residence, returning overseas Filipino workers and locally-stranded individuals but also their families.”
The QR code will be operational using the Get Pass mobile phone application, downloadable for free.
Garcia said the code can be obtained after downloading the mobile app, registering and filling out an online health declaration form and travel authority.
For those without smartphones, the QR code can be accessed through the www.getpass.com.
Contact-tracing is very important in our fight against COVID-19.
To get the QR code, download the Get-Pass Application available in Google Play at App Store and sign up; answer the health declaration form; click calendar and go to the travel authorization section; answer travel appointment questions; and save or print the QR code that contains the date of travel and appointment number.
Travelers must present the QR code at checkpoints along with other requirements like employment certificate and personal identification.
For those who enter the province daily, their QR codes or travel passes will be effective for 15 days. The rest will be issued one-time passes.
As of 17 September, Bataan has 63 active cases and two deaths. There are 463 pending test results.
Garcia said the process will help monitor the health conditions of everyone entering Bataan and allow effective contact-tracing.
“Contact-tracing is very important in our fight against COVID-19. Only in our ability to identify the source of the infection can we efficiently respond to the crisis in our communities. The QR code system is consistent with all our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus and provide more protection to our residents and their families,” Garcia said.
He said there were COVID-19 outbreaks in some villages during the last two months. Reports showed most cases came from residents working in Metro Manila, overseas workers and seafarers and visiting non-Bataan residents.
They either did not know they were infected with the virus or although with clearance from the Bureau of Quarantine, tested positive upon arrival in the province.
“We do not want to overwhelm our health system with the rising COVID-19 cases. An efficient contact tracing system will help diminish the chances of infection and in the long run, give our health workers the much-needed break they deserve from taking care of the sick,” Garcia said.