No added requirements for inbound pax to Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Jan. 12 (PIA)—The City Tourism Operation Office no longer demands any requirement for travel to Davao City either land, air or sea.  

Generose Tecson, head of the CTOO reiterated that they follow the IATF guidelines on international travel. 

She said there is already specific restrictions for arrivals from foreign countries classified as green, yellow and red specifically for unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals.  

Tecson bared that based on the IATF guidelines all persons from foreign countries and are going to Metro Manila must have three-day RT-PCR tests before boarding their flights.  

She said the quarantine days depend on the country where they come, like those classified as yellow and red countries, still have 14-day quarantine, while those in green-list countries and are vaccinated must have 10-day quarantine where seven days are spent in the facility and another three-days at home. 

Tecson clarified that green-list countries pertain to countries with least COVID-19 cases like China, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Taiwan and Morocco while yellow countries pertain to countries with manageable COVID-19 cases like the US and the red list countries pertain to countries which are not allowed entry to the country like Spain, Mozambique, Lisotho, Namibia, Malawi and Eswatini except if returning OFWs are actually repatriated by the government. 

 

She revealed that repatriated flights from red countries are only allowed to land at the Subic, Clark and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.  

Tecson said that currently passengers are welcome both from the green and yellow list countries at the Davao International Airport.  She said passengers undergo thermal screening and interview with the Bureau of Quarantine which will determine their facility-based quarantine.   

Tecson said that OFWs are given rooms for free by the OWWA, while non-OFWs are checked if they have hotel bookings in the city.  

“The OFWs go to the immigrations and customs and after which they ride the bus to their hotels while the Philippine Coast Guard fetches the non-0FWs to their respective hotel accommodations” she said. 

Tecson underscored that it has been an special operation procedure that OFWs and non-OFWs are taken by local authorities to the multi-used hotels and are not allowed to take public transport.  

She said that during quarantine, tourist police and members of the Civil Security Unit take turns in guarding the facilities where they are in.  

Tecson recalled that one multi-used hotel in the city was penalized for one-month after proven that one of its non-OFW customers was able to go home without finishing his quarantine days at the facility.  

She bared that 25 hotels in the city are identified now as multi-used hotels where facilities are classified as quarantine areas and ordinary people could not just get in.  

“They have floors dedicated for quarantine facilities,” Tecson said.  (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)