TRAVELERS from outside Cebu Island are still required to present their negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or rapid antigen test results if they wish to enter Cebu City.
This travel requirement has been ditched by the city governments of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu City.
Also in the neighboring province of Bohol, Gov. Arthur Yap on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, said individuals who are fully vaccinated will no longer need to present an RT-PCR test result when entering Bohol. This new development was agreed on by the Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force and mayors of the province.
Instead of an RT-PCR test result, a fully vaccinated traveler is required to present a vaccination certificate from the Department of Health. The certificate contains a unique quick response (QR) code, which authenticates the S-Pass of the Department of Information and Communications Technology. The certificate with the QR code can be accessed through the website https://vaxcert.doh.gov.ph/.
Rama’s reasons
For Cebu City Acting Mayor Michael Rama, he could not lift the travel requirement because Cebu City is accessible to travelers from other provinces because of its seaports. Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu are not as crowded as Cebu City, he added.
The acting mayor said Cebu City must continue to implement its policies aimed at controlling the spread of Covid-19.
Recently, the city has seen a decreasing trend in its active cases in October, and the city could have happy holidays if the number continues to decline, Rama said.
Rama said the negative swab/antigen test result requirement for travelers is not permanent. He would first ask the business groups and various stakeholders; he would lift the requirement if there was a good reason to do so.
Bohol’s penalty
In Bohol, individuals with fake vaccination certificates will be penalized, including with a one-month ban on entry to the province.
Individuals who are not vaccinated and those who have been inoculated only with the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine can still enter Bohol, but they need to present an RT-PCR test result obtained within 72 hours upon entry to the province.
Yap said he will issue an executive order on the new guidelines. (PAC, REV / JGS)