Travel Protocols for the Entire PH are Out, Here's What You Need to Know

It covers testing, quarantine, travel passes and tracing apps.

by Arianne Merez

Photo/s: Arianne Merez

The Philippines has crafted a set of uniform protocols for domestic tourism, Malacañang said Saturday as it seeks to encourage more Filipinos to travel.

The rules cover the most concerns on testing, quarantines, contact-tracing apps and the need for travel authority. Officials worked on blanket regulations to avoid confusion among travelers.

The following travel protocols have been approved according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque:

1. Travelers shall no longer be required to undergo COVID-19 testing except if the local government unit of destination will make testing a requirement prior to travel. Testing will be limited to RT-PCR test.

2. Travelers shall no longer undergo quarantine unless they exhibit symptoms upon arrival at the LGU of destination.

3. Minimum health standards such as wearing of face masks and face shields, physical distancing, and hand hygiene shall be observed at all times.

4. Travelers will undergo a mandatory health assessment, supervised by medical doctors, in all ports of entry and exit of destination.

Continue reading below ↓

5. Travel authority and health certificates are no longer required.

6. Authorized persons outside of residence from national government agencies and their attached agencies, on the other hand, must provide their identification card, travel order, and travel itinerary. They must likewise pass symptom-screening at the ports of entry and exit.

7. The StaySafe.ph System shall be utilized as the primary contact tracing system. Other existing contact tracing applications, such as Traze App, must be integrated with the StaySafe.ph System.

8. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)’s Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage (S-PaSS) Travel Management System will now be institutionalized as the one-stop-shop application/ communication for travelers.

9. Ports and terminals need to have sufficient quarantine/isolation facilities and a referral system for symptomatic travelers for easy coordination with the Bureau of Quarantine or local health officials for LGUs.

10. All buses in Metro Manila bound for the provinces shall be required to use the Integrated Terminal Exchange as the central hub for transportation. LGUs, however, have the option to provide transportation for travelers who are transiting from one LGU to another in cases of arrivals at air and seaports to their end-point destinations.

Continue reading below ↓