IATF Resolution 124-B eases travel restrictions for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. | CDN File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The national government’s anti-COVID task force has eased the rules on the interzonal travel of fully-vaccinated persons, including senior citizens.
And local authorities are expected to roll out the same guidelines here soon.
Councilor Joel Garganera, head of Cebu City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said they welcomed the IATF’s new resolution that eases travel conditions and restrictions for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Garganera said concerned national government agencies and local government units (LGUs) in Cebu will be holding a meeting on Tuesday, July 6, to discuss IATF’s new resolution.
“We still have a meeting this Tuesday with the Tri-City (Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City), (Cebu) province, OPAV (Office of the Presidential Assistant of the Visayas), DOH (Department of Health in Central Visayas) and PBB (Project Balik Buhay) for uniformity,” said Garganera.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Sunday, July 4, said that under IATF Resolution 124-B, interzonal travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are will only be required to present proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination instead of COVID-19 test results.
According to IATF Resolution 124-B, a person is only considered fully vaccinated two weeks after he received the second dose of the jab and if the vaccine administered is one of the vaccines given an emergency use authorization or a Compassionate Special Permit (CSP) by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration, or is among those on the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing.
The new rules on interzonal travel also apply to fully vaccinated senior citizens.
Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera
When asked if the EOC recommends to the city government to issue a new Executive Order (EO) to give way for the new IATF guidelines, Garganera said there’s no need.
“If you ask me, I mean my personal take, dili na kahinganlan. But then again, we have to wait for this Tuesday’s meeting for meeting of the minds and uniformity among all LGUs in Cebu,” he explained.
To recall, the EOC earlier raised the possibility for Cebu City to issue a new EO that seeks to waive travel conditions for fully vaccinated individuals doing interzonal travel.
Interzonal travel refers to the movement between provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities under different community quarantine classifications.
According to the IATF, the presentation of a COVID-19 domestic vaccination card signed by a legitimate vaccinating establishment, or certificate of quarantine completion showing the holder’s vaccination status issued by the Bureau of Quarantine shall be sufficient alternatives to any testing requirement (before travel or upon arrival) which the local government of destination may require.
All travelers, however, are still required to undergo health and exposure screening protocols upon arrival at their destinations.
Meanwhile, intrazonal travel (or the movement of people, goods and services between localities under the same community quarantine classification) will continue to be allowed for fully vaccinated senior citizens within areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ. | with reporters from Zacarian Sarao of INQUIRER.net
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