BAGUIO CITY, the country’s summer capital of old, has scrapped Covid-19 testing for all visitors, much to the consternation of its residents.
Other local governments such as that of Bohol have likewise scaled back their requirements for inbound tourists, after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases removed documentary requirements for travelers, in a bid to boost domestic tourism. It left it up to local government units, however, whether they would still require Covid testing for visitors.
A number of Baguio residents expressed disappointment on social media about Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s move to remove Covid-19 testing for tourists as published in his Executive Order No. 29. They noted the growing number of Covid-19 cases in the city and the detection of the newer variants of the novel coronavirus. According to the Department of Health (DOH), 53 more Covid-positive cases were added to their data on Baguio on March 3, bringing their total cases to 5,828. “There are still 795 cases with unreported date of onset of illness and specimen collection,” according to the DOH web site.
“If testing is not mandatory anymore, anyone can just go up? Now that we have a confirmed UK strain, we also lower down our guards? Ayan. pano na? No screening required? What happens to the city now???” asked Carmen Jean Villanueva on the Baguio-PIO’s Facebook page.
On Twitter, Mia Magdalena (@MissMaggie) said: “Dear Tourists, Don’t come to Baguio even if we don’t require RT-PCR. We’re quite the hotspot for Covid now. We care.” She also confirmed reports that over 100 employees working in two business processing outsourcing companies and a local restaurant had tested positive for Covid-19. She did not name the companies and restaurant though.
Even some hotels in the city are not so sure to follow Magalong’s EO. “We will still have to weigh the risks,” said one chief executive of a hotel chain, when asked if they would no longer test their guests for Covid-19.
Still, there were FB posts and tweets from people residing outside Baguio looking forward to visiting the city to enjoy its cool climate. A recent survey indicated that some people traveled despite the pandemic “to keep their sanity.” (See, “Convenience, costs stymie long-route travels,” Feb. 23, 2021.)
It would be recalled that Magalong faced a public backlash after event organizer Tim Yap held a birthday party at BCC, where guests removed face masks and didn’t practice social distancing while enjoying the celebration.
Bacolod, Puerto Princesa now open to tourists
Meanwhile, Puerto Princesa City reopened to domestic tourists on March 1, following the local government’s issuance of Resolution No. 29. Tourists are required to submit a negative RT-PCR test result within a 48-hour validity, which should be emailed directly by the DOH-accredited testing facility to the city’s Incident Management Team (IMT).
Bacolod City likewise reopened for leisure tourism on March 3, with travelers also required to submit a negative RT-PCR test via nasal swab or saliva test “from the Philippine Red Cross only within 72 hours validity from the point of origin.”
In Bohol, Gov. Arthur Yap issued EO No. 17 on March 3 reiterating the need for travelers to present negative RT-PCR test results before entering the province. But, “the traveler will no longer be required to undergo repeat testing unless they exhibit Covid-19 symptoms.” Previously, Bohol required tourists staying more than three days to get a repeat RT-PCR test.
The Department of Tourism has been urging more destinations to reopen to non-essential travel to help boost the tourism industry, one of the most impacted sectors by the pandemic. It estimated that 4.8 million of the 5.7-million tourism workforce, had lost their jobs because of Covid-19.
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