No virus test, no entry to Camiguin
By virtue of the powers vested in me by law I do hereby order that persons travelling to the province of Camiguin for essential or work-related purposes must present the negative result of their Covid-19 RT-PCR test taken within 24 hours by licensed testing facility
Despite the nationwide lifting of quarantine protocols and the arrival of vaccines, the island province of Camiguin remains a favorite tourist destination in the country but is still off limits to travellers without negative Covid-19 RT-PCR TEST.
In an Executive Order (EO) 75 series of 2021) on Sunday, Governor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo decreed that all travelers must undergo coronavirus testing before being allowed to enter the province.
“By virtue of the powers vested in me by law I do hereby order that persons traveling to the province of Camiguin for essential or work-related purposes must present the negative result of their Covid-19 RT-PCR test taken within 24 hours by licensed testing facility.”
The order said that in the event the testing facility is unable to release the test without 24 hours from the time the test was taken, travelers shall undergo isolation.
“Persons who fail or are unable to comply shall not be allowed to enter the province unless they elect to undergo quarantine for such period of time and at such place determined by the appropriate local health authority,” the order said.
Last December, Romualdo has also issued an EO lifting the curfew from 24 to 25 December to allow residents to celebrate the century-old Christmas tradition in the island province.
Rumualdo, however said that despite the lifting of the province-wide curfew, the residents were advised to strictly observe the Covid-19 protocols such as wearing of masks, face shields and social distancing.
The provincial government has also given the go signal for residents aged 15 to 65 to go out from their homes in accordance with the guidelines issued by the National Covid-19 task forces.
Returning residents were also be allowed to return from 15 December to 7 January without undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine provided that they present swab test result that they are negative of the coronavirus at least 24 hours before their arrival in the province.
Still off limits
In November last year, the provincial government has declared the island still off limits to local and foreign tourists despite the declaration of the Department of Tourism that it’s now open for leisure travel.
The statement was in reaction to the advisory issued by the DoT that Camiguin is among the tourist destinations in Northern Mindanao now open for travel.
The island province, famous of its hot springs and diving sites, is accessible through ferry boats from Misaims Oriental. The entry of locally-standard individuals and returning overseas Filipinos in the province was tightened to contain the spread of the disease.
Camiguin is also famous for its Lanzones festival which was launched online last Sunday in compliance with the Covid-19 health protocols in the country.
Because of the low Covid-19 cases in the past months, Camiguin was placed under low-risk quarantine by the Department of Health in Region 10.