By Rey Anthony Chiu/PIA-Bohol | 01:24 PM September 08, 2021
Realizing now that they were on to the wrong group pf suspects spreading the coronavirus disease in Bohol, local stakeholders now want no more mandatory 5-day quarantine upon arrival and repeat testing to anyone intending to come to Bohol.
Through Executive Order No. 44 series of 2021, Bohol governor Arthur Yap has lifted effective September 7, 2021, the strict 5-day mandatory quarantine for incoming travelers or homing residents and a mandatory repeat Covid-19 testing by Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) on the fifth day of quarantine.
By way of an amendment of his earlier order as embodied in the Executive Order No. 42. Series of 2020 which earlier imposed the strict arrival protocols for both authorized persons outside residence (APOR) and non-APORS like homecoming residents and vacationing guests.
As consequence to the new Executive Order No. 42, those who arrived in Bohol in the last five days and are currently on quarantine can freely break their quarantine.
However, those in quarantine who exhibit symptoms of Covid and are waiting for their RT-PCR results have to remain in their quarantine facilities until they can show negative for Covid test results, according to the governor’s directive.
The move came after a series of meetings with stakeholders including the medical sector, tourism industry and the local chief executives who aver stopping the Covid surge by pressing tough restrictions on arriving travelers is counter-productive and is barking at the wrong tree.
After all, tourism sector data shows that there were zero cases of Covid among the incoming guests and those who come in normally exercise travel restraint upon their arrival in the resorts or hotel quarantine facilities.
Some provisions of Executive Order No. 42 remain in effect: a negative Covid test result by RT PCR or Saliva PCR, taken 72 hours prior to departure to Bohol and registration into the government’s travel management in the safe, swift and Smart passage or s-pass.ph is still needed as a requirement.
Registering in the s-pass.ph also allows early coordination between traveler and destination authorities and culminates in sending of travel approval from the LGU of destination to the incoming traveler.
