This was confirmed by City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) Head Generose Tecson in a short text message to SunStar Davao on Sunday, January 2, 2022.
The alert level status in Metro Manila is raised anew from the current Level 2 to Alert Level 3 from Jan. 3 to 15, 2022, Malacañang announced on Friday night.
Acting presidential spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles announced on Friday, December 31, 2021, that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) decided to shift to a more stringent alert level status in the entire National Capital Region as the country saw a spike in Covid-19 infections.
Nograles added that an increase in Covid-19 positive cases is expected in the succeeding days thus, the IATF’s decision.
The entire Philippines, including Davao City, however, stays on Alert Level 2 until January 15, 2022.
Tecson emphasized in a previous interview that Executive Order (EO) 66, ordering the removal of the requirement of 24 to 72-hour negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) via land, sea, and air travel to the city, is still in effect.
The city discontinued the mandatory RT-PCR test results to all travelers entering the city effective November 16, 2021. This came after the city was downgraded to Alert Level 2 brought about by the continuing downtrend of Covid-19 cases.
Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, CTOO reminded tourists to ensure that they book their hotels and tours with establishments that have valid business permits.
The office added that the city still follows the guidelines of the IATF for international travelers at Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao International Airport).
In a previous interview, Tecson said the city is still not keen on reimposing the “test before travel” at the Davao Airport amid the recent detection of the Omicron variant in the Philippines.
Tecson, who is also the Airport Monitoring Team, said the CTOO is strictly monitoring the entry of air passengers, particularly those coming from outside the country.
She added that arriving repatriated overseas Filipino workers (ROFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) will be transported to hotels, which are designated as quarantine facilities upon their arrival at the airport.
She clarified, however, that while all arriving international passengers will undergo facility-based quarantine in accordance with the IATF guidelines, the period of their stay will depend on their country of origin and their vaccination status.
Before they can board their trip to Davao City, passengers will be required to present negative RT-PCR test results taken within 72 hours. (RGL)
