Cebu

It’s now easier for Cebu residents to visit their provincial tourist spots

Lorraine Ecarma

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It’s now easier for Cebu residents to visit their provincial tourist spots

Local tourist pass through tempetature in Bantayan Island in Cebu.

Tonee Despojo/Sugbo News

The provincial government relaxes restrictions for residents traveling within mainland Cebu and its islands

In another push towards propping up of its shaky tourism industry, Cebu province further made it easier for locals to visit tourism areas here.

Sugbo News, the official news site of the Cebu Capitol, said that local tourists were no longer required to present medical certificates, and quarantine passes. The provincial government also dropped requiring visitors undergo isolation before going to other cities and municipalities within the province.

Instead, tourists merely have to secure either a receipt of confirmed booking through the province’s online tourism portal, confirmed booking from their respective hotels, or a return ticket for those who would travel to the province’s islands. 

The easing of the regulations came after Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia consulted with hotel and resort owners in Bantayan Island on Friday, October 16.

In that meeting it was agreed that the provincial government would encourage residents in the province to engage in local tourism and not be discouraged by strict documentary requirements.

“There are millions of others that are affected because it is our economy that is now comatose. That is why I must fight for our economy to get back on its feet,” Garcia said in a video by Sugbo News

Cebu province, which is under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), also lifted the age limit travel restriction for its local tourists. 

The national COVID-19 task force released a resolution on October 15 adjusting the required stay-at-home age while the country remained under quarantine. 

However, minors aged below 15 years old and seniors over 65 years old were still required to stay at home. 

According to October 19 data from the Department of Health-Central Visayas, Cebu province’s COVID-19 caseload stood at 6,058 with 396 active cases. Ten new cases of the coronavirus disease were recorded that day. Meanwhile, recoveries rose to 5,292 with 44 new tallied. The province’s number of COVID-related deaths remained at 370.

Cebu’s tourism industry for those within the province was relaunched in the first week of August. Because of the absence of inbound international travels, the tourism sector relied solely on the province’s residents for income. 

The Cebu Provincial Board also passed a tourism ordinance penalizing tourists and establishments which violated minimum health protocols and sanitation standards laid down in Garcia’s executive orders. – Rappler.com

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