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MANILA – Cebu is opening its doors to foreign travelers—even those who are unvaccinated—starting next month.

In Executive Order no. 3, Series of 2022, Governor Gwen Garcia said unvaccinated or partially vaccinated foreign travelers may now enter the province provided that they:

• Present a negative RT-PCR test taken with 48 hours from prior to departure from their country of origin;
• Undergo another RT-PCR swab test upon arrival in Cebu; and
• Be isolated in an quarantine facility until the release of the results of their second RT-PCR taken on their fifth day of isolation

Speaking on TeleRadyo, Dr. Jean Loreche of the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center said the decision to allow unvaccinated foreign travelers to Cebu was made with the tourism industry in mind.

“Dahil naman ito we are really—I believe that the province believes na mas marami naman talaga ang fully vaccinated kaysa yung mga walang bakuna. But then, not to restrict them from entering and enjoying what one Cebu island can offer them,” she said.

“Nung eto ay ginawa ito ‘no, ang EO ni Governor Gwen, with consultation for all the various stakeholders, kasama dito ang ating different government agencies at ang private sector. At nalaman din naman natin na naghihingalo talaga yung ating tourism industry kasama ang ating mga hotels, kasama yung ating mga tour operators, mga resorts,” Loreche explained.

“So, ang ano lang niyan, para maidagdag yan sa mga darating, and secondly, in order for us really to revive the tourism in one Cebu island.”

The doctor also noted that Garcia’s resolution states that the single dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine shall be made available by the Department of Health (DOH) for unvaccinated foreign travelers.

“And of course hindi din natin dapat kalimutan, there has to be a strict observance to the minimum public health standards. At iniligay din naman natin dyan yung ating mga protocols in case they do develop symptoms what to do, how to go about it,” Loreche added.

The Department of Interior and Local Government, meanwhile, is eyeing a dialogue with Cebu officials following Garcia’s memorandum.

Current guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Against COVID-19 state that only fully vaccinated foreign travelers shall be allowed into the Philippines.

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• GUIDE: Revised rules for foreign travelers entering the Philippines

“Let us just wait and see what will happen,” Loreche said of possible dialogues between provincial authorities and the national government.

“Kasi naman nasa power naman yan ng ating local executives, chief executives kung ano yung sa tingin nila na makakatulong, makakabuti sa kanilang ekonomiya, sa mga tao na nandidito, particularly in terms of livelihoods.”

--Teleradyo, 11 February 2022