- MITCH M. LIPA
The National Inter-Agency Task Force has come up with unified travel guidelines for areas under Modified General Community Quarantine status.
The NIATF said “travelers shall no longer be required to undergo COVID-19 testing except if the local government unit (LGU) of destination will make testing as a requirement prior to travel”.
City Administrator Em Ang, executive director of Emergency Operations Center, said there is nothing to change in the travel policy for arriving passengers being implemented by the LGU.
Bacolod City, she said, will continue to require the negative RT-PCR test from the passengers’ place of origin, since it was stated in the existing executive order of Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
Under the Unified Travel Policy, quarantine period for arriving visitors is not required if the traveler has a negative RT-PCR result from the place of origin, Ang said.
It has been several months that the city does not require quarantine period for as long as they have the latest negative RT PCR results.
Easing of travel restrictions will be implemented starting March particularly in areas that are under MGCQ.
The Bacolod EOC, meanwhile, reported an increase in the acceptance level of the people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Ang claimed that they noted a 10 to 20 percent hike compared to the previous barangay surveys.
The massive education campaign, with the help of the experts and specialists, contributed to the full understanding of the people on how important vaccines are than listening to the fake information in the social media, she added.
The EOC with the help of Barangay Health Emergency Response Team or BHERTS will continue with their education drive this week so that by the time the vaccines arrive there will be smooth procedure in the vaccination centers.
The China-made SINOVAC vaccines were the first to arrive in the country on Sunday.
Ang said the national government has said that the first 100,000 doses will be for the men and women in uniform and the rest will be for the frontliners and other members of the priority sector in Metro Manila.
Ang said she would rather accept the earliest vaccine to arrive than wait for the preferred brands.
She expressed her preference over SINOVAC even as more Filipinos are increasingly concerned over the China-made vaccines. – MML
