No COVID-19 test required for tourists coming to Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — Local tourists coming to Cebu Province for leisure are no longer required to present a negative COVID-19 result, making Cebu the first local government unit in the country to allow entry without RT-PCR test since the start of the pandemic.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has issued an executive order to formalize the announcement she made last week that Cebu Province is easing up travel restrictions to help revive the ailing tourism industry.

Under Garcia’s E.O. No. 12, local tourists travelling to Cebu are not required to under antigen test, rapid test or even RT-PCR test. Travel authority from the local government units is not also required.

For travelers from other provinces to be allowed entry, they only need to show a valid medical certificate for them to purchase a ticket for travel via air, land or sea.

“The medical certificate shall be issued by a reputable doctor and within seven (7) days prior to the travel date,” reads part of EO.

They should also present a proof of pre-booking at the hotel or resort accredited by the Provincial Tourism Task Force and is located within the Cebu Province where they will stay for the duration of their visit.

 The tourist, however, must pass the symptoms checking or screening at the point of departure and the point of arrival.

“As the Provincial Government of Cebu is reviving the economy that has regressed due to the covivd-19 pandemic, there is a need to ease the travel restriction of persons traveling into the Province for tourism related activities in observance of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines and other resolutions of the IATF-MEID,” the EO reads.

The LGU of destination in the province “may issue a reasonable regulation which shall be submitted to and approved by the Governor” and later be submitted to the Department of Interior and Local Government. The EO took effect yesterday. — FPL (FREEMAN)