COVID-19 test required again for Zambales, Negros visitors

MANILA, Philippines — Visitors to Zambales and Negros Occidental are again required to present a negative COVID-19 test amid the increase in new infections in the country.

In a joint advisory issued by the Zambales provincial government and health and tourism offices, fully vaccinated travelers should present a negative antigen test taken 24 hours prior to arrival.

Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated visitors should present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken 48 hours upon arrival.

COVID test results will be uploaded to the Zambales visitor information and travel assistance website.

Unvaccinated visitors and children below seven years old from Metro Manila are barred from entering the province.

In Negros Occidental, visitors from areas under Alert Level 3 will be required to present a negative RT-PCR test taken not later than 72 hours prior to approval of their S-Pass starting Jan. 9, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said.

However, he said there is no need to close their border with Negros Oriental at this time.

“We will decide again if cases increase,” Lacson said.

Active COVID cases in Negros Occidental rose to 178 on Wednesday, with 12 new infections added.

In Bacolod City, active cases doubled from 16 to 34 on Wednesday night, according to Em Legaspi-Ang, executive director of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Dr. Rosalie de Oocampo, EOC contact tracing cluster head, said the patients either have a travel history or attended holiday gatherings.

In Pangasinan, Gov. Amado Espino III issued an executive order on Wednesday, which renewed travel restrictions, prevented mass gatherings and reimposed curfew hours from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

After recording single-digit cases in the past week, the provincial health office said it logged 32 new cases on Wednesday night, bringing the active infections to 77. – Eva Visperas