(Para maibalik ang tourism jobs, businesses) PH MULING BUBUKSAN SA FOREIGNERS

SA muling pagbubukas ng bansa sa foreign leisure travelers ay maibabalik ang nawalang mga trabaho at negosyo na napilitang magsara dahil sa COVID-19 pandemic, ayon sa Department of Tourism (DOT).

Simula sa Pebrero 10 ay papayagan na ng Pilipinas ang fully vaccinated international tourists mula sa visa-free countries, subalit kailangan nilang magpakita ng negative RT-PCR test na isinagawa sa loob ng 48 oras bago ang pag-alis mula sa pinagmulang bansa.

Sa kasalukuyan ay may kabuuang 157 bansa ang nagtatamasa ng visa-free entry privileges sa Pilipinas, kabilang ang ilan sa top tourist markets nito bago ang pandemya, tulad ng South Korea, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States, at Germany.

“We at the DOT are very thankful to our partners in the IATF-EID (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) for approving our proposal to allow the entry of foreign leisure travelers. The Department sees this as a welcome development that will contribute significantly to job restoration, primarily in tourism-dependent communities, and in the reopening of businesses that have earlier shut down during the pandemic,’’ sabi ni Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

“With years of coordination between national agencies, industry stakeholders, and the various local government units (LGUs) to prepare our destinations for tourism in the new normal, we are confident that we will be able to keep pace with our Asean neighbors who have already made similar strides to reopen to foreign tourists,” dagdag pa niya.

Sa kanilang pagdating, ang  foreign tourists ay kailangang mag-self-monitor para sa anumang sintomas ng COVID–19 sa loob ng pitong araw kung saan ang unang araw ay ang petsa ng kanilang pagdating. Ayon sa IATF-EID, ang facility-based quarantine ay hindi na mandatory.

Ire-require naman silang mag-report sa local government unit ng destination kapag nagkaroon ng sintomas.

Base sa IATF Resolution No. 159, “foreign tourists will be allowed to enter the country, provided that their passports are valid for at least six months at the time of arrival, and they possess outbound tickets to their country of origin or next country of destination.”

“They must carry ‘proofs of vaccination’ against COVID-19 that are recognized by the IATF-EID. They include certificates of vaccination issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), VaxCertPH of the Department of Health, and a national/state digital certificate of a foreign government that has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal arrangement unless otherwise permitted by the IATF.”

Sa hiwalay na anunsiyo ay sinuspinde ng IATF-EID ang green, yellow, at  red classification para sa mga bansa simula sa Peb. 1, 2022.

Simula rin sa Peb. 1, ang fully-vaccinated returning overseas Filipinos ay hindi na kailangang sumailalim sa quarantine basta makapagprisinta sila ng lnegative result ng RT-PCR test na isinagawa  48 oras bago ang pagdating.

“We are also aware that there is no room for complacency given the unpredictability of the virus. We will closely monitor the situation and ensure that health and safety protocols are strictly implemented in all tourism establishments,” ani Romulo-Puyat. PNA