Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz yesterday said that the Vallacar Transit Incorporated signified its intention to resume operations between two Negros provinces and will allow fully vaccinated passengers to cross the island’s borders.
But Diaz said they will wait first for approval from the provincial government of Negros Oriental.
Fully vaccinated individuals will be accepted in the land trip, while negative RT-PCR results will be required from those unvaccinated, valid within 72 hours before travel.
Diaz said they will wait for VTI to present an authorization from Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, allowing them to resume operations.
“It has to be both ways,” he added.
He stressed that passenger pickup should be from point to point, and not along the way.
He also reported that the special flight for fully vaccinated individuals from Manila to Negros Occidental on Oct. 18 was successful.
Diaz said the first flight of the Philippine Airlines was full of passengers.
The PAL special flights will be held Mondays and Fridays, starting Oct. 18 until Nov. 29 this year.
Diaz also said that local government units of Negros Occidental started uploading their data of fully inoculated Negrenses to the province’s Management Information System.
He said they will disclose the link to the province’s vaccination portal soon, adding that the link will first be given to the chief executives of the LGUs, who in turn, will be responsible in disseminating the link to their constituents.
As of Oct. 19, Negros Occidental has already vaccinated 300,000 individuals, or roughly 15 percent of the 1.8 million targeted vaccinees.
In Bacolod, the city government yesterday said it has vaccinated 213,828 residents, with 157,825 fully inoculated against COVID, as of Oct. 16. — GB
