Hotels in Cebu to implement 7-day quarantine, says HRRAC

DESPITE the threat of the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), hotels in Cebu will continue to implement a seven-day quarantine instead of 10 days for fully vaccinated individuals from “green” countries.

Alfred Reyes, president of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu Inc (HRRAC), said they are still waiting for further instruction as the implemention of the new guidelines from from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) was still on hold.

A recent IATF resolution dated August 20, 2021 stated that all arriving international passengers regardless of their vaccination status will need to be quarantined in a quarantine facility for 10 days, where they will be reswabbed on the 7th day and released on the 11th day.

The specific provision caused conflict to passengers because local government units required a negative RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to their arrival back at their home local government unit.

Because of this, public and private stakeholders are still waiting when the implementation will be to clarify the new protocol, Reyes said.

HRRAC said they will follow old protocols for all arriving international passengers which is the 10th day release and second swab on the 7th day.

Swab-upon-arrival is still being implemented.

Meanwhile, vaccinated passengers in the Philippines or those coming from green-list countries will be quarantined for seven days only and a second swab on the 5th day. (JOB)