CEBU City ports will now allow non-essential travel, the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) said.
This, after the downgrading of the City’s community quarantine status from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in August 2021 to general community quarantine (GCQ) this September.
Maryknoll Lague, CPA public relations officer, said travelers must comply with specific requirements for inbound and outbound travels.
Lague said inbound sea travelers in Cebu City must present a negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result taken 72 hours prior to travel or a negative antigen test taken 48 hours prior to travel.
For outbound travelers from Cebu City, she said, they must comply with the requirements of the receiving local government unit having jurisdiction over the port of destination.
“We just followed the guidelines of Cebu City. The S-Pass is a national requirement. So, usually, it’s the ports of origin that require it, but upon arrival, Cebu City no longer asks for it,” she told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano during an interview on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021.
These guidelines take effect on Sept. 8-30, 2021.
She said there are no guidelines yet as to any exemption from presenting the required negative RT-PCR or antigen test result for fully-vaccinated individuals.
The inbound and outbound passenger trips in Cebu City were suspended on Aug. 1-31 when the city was placed under MECQ and quarantine restrictions were upped due to rising Covid-19 cases.
During this time, Cebu City Port terminals were open but only for essential travels— returning or repatriated overseas Filipino workers, returning overseas Filipinos, and authorized persons outside of residence (APOR).
The Cebu City Government, in an executive order issued by acting Mayor Michael Rama on Aug. 15, continued to limit travel or transit through Cebu City from other islands to authorized persons outside of residence (Apor), health and emergency workers, law enforcement personnel, authorized government officials, and trucks and vehicles transporting all types of cargoes from Aug. 16 to 31.
During that time, all passengers without clearance from the Philippine Coast Guard were not allowed entry into the port passenger terminal building, while essential travelers were required to submit a negative rt-pcr test valid within 72 hours or a negative antigen test valid within 48 hours from the date of travel.