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Travel agencies, tour operators, and related businesses and services in the country can now resume operations today in different capacities, depending on their location.
This was announced by the Secretary of Commerce, Ramón López, through a memorandum circular that he signed on October 14 and published on Friday, which re-categorized companies related to travel and tourism from Category 4 to Category 3.
According to the guidelines of the Interagency Working Group for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), Category 4 companies and industries cannot operate in areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ) . Those under Category 3 can reopen at 50 percent of their operational capacity and employing a skeletal workforce.
Subject to minimum public health and safety standards and protocols, López said travel agencies, tour operators, reservation services and related services can reopen at half capacity in areas under GCQ.
Those in areas under modified GCQ (MGCQ) can operate at full capacity.
The areas currently under GCQ are Metro Manila; Batangas Province; City of Tacloban in the province of Leyte; The city of Bacolod in the province of Negros Occidental; The city of Iligan in the province of Lanao del Norte; and the city of Iloilo in the province of Iloilo.
All other provinces and cities are under MGCQ, except for the province of Lanao del Sur and its capital, Marawi City, which are under modified enhanced community quarantine.
“The DTI (Department of Commerce and Industry), through the Fair Trade Enforcement Office and regional or provincial offices, will monitor compliance with this circular through a subsequent audit mechanism,” said López.
Inspection by the departments of Tourism (DoT), Labor and Employment and Health, and the local government health office, can also be carried out at any time, he added.
Modified guidelines
Also on Friday, the DoT welcomed the IATF-EID’s amended guidelines on easing restrictions for people traveling between destinations in areas under GCQ and MGCQ, which it hopes will help the tourism sector recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, the department cited IATF Resolution 79, which says that “the interzonal movement of unauthorized persons out of residences between areas located under GCQ and MGCQ will be permitted for any purpose, subject to reasonable regulations imposed by the Local government unit (LGU) in question, if any, and to be submitted to the Department of the Interior and Local Government, or in the case of the island of Boracay, subject to those imposed by the Boracay Interagency Task Force ”.
“These new IATF-approved policies support the department’s programs aimed at rebuilding the tourism industry to regain lost jobs and livelihoods and shake up local economies,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in the statement.
According to her, the guidelines will allow LGUs to responsibly reopen their respective destinations to more areas outside their province or region with the minimum established health and safety measures.
“Flexible travel movements, however, do not mean that we will relax our health standards. We will continue to work with the LGUs to enforce security protocols and improve hygiene measures in all sectors of the tourism industry ”. Romulo-Puyat said.
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