Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said that the Inter-Agency Task Force Against COVID-19 will be discussing the possibility of removing the swab testing requirements for fully vaccinated individuals against COVID-19.
Puyat said that the meeting will focus on easing the travel restrictions to those who have received their two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“May IATF meeting kami this afternoon, ang pinag-uusapan kung paano, let’s say kung fully vaccinated naman, baka, baka hindi na kailangan mag-RT-PCR, pero ‘yun ay pinaguusapan,” Puyat said in a Laging Handa briefing.
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Last month, Malacanang announced that a small technical group from the Tourism Department and Foreign Affairs Department are discussing the possibility of allowing foreign travellers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The group was organized by the IATF to study the matter and formulate protocols.
The group is also composed of representatives from the Departments of Health, Justice, Information and Communications Technology, Transportation, Labor and Employment, Trade and Industry, Bureaus of Quarantine and Immigration, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
Puyat said the IATF is considering the establishment of a green lane to expedite the entry of foreigners fully vaccinated against the virus.
“Setting up such a special lane for fully inoculated foreign travelers may just do the trick for the Philippines’ pandemic-hit tourism industry,” Puyat said in a statement.
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“The green lane will pave the way for the reopening of our tourist destinations to leisure travelers who are now fully vaccinated,” she added.
Puyat said once approved, the move will help in reviving the tourism industry.
“It will give the jobs back to many of our tourism workers and gradually revive the tourism industry under safe conditions,” she added.
Under current protocols, foreign travellers are still barred from entering the Philippines. (TDT)
