7K fully vaxxed foreign travelers, dumating sa ‘Pinas — DOT

ni Lolet Abania | February 14, 2022

Mahigit sa 7,000 fully-vaccinated na mga dayuhan ang dumating sa bansa matapos na buksan uli ito sa kanila noong Huwebes, ayon sa Department of Tourism (DOT).

Sinabi ni DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat na umabot sa 7,051 foreign travelers, kung saan 45 porsiyento ay mga Pilipino na may foreign passports, ang dumating sa bansa mula Huwebes hanggang Linggo.

Mula ang mga dayuhang turista sa United States, Canada, Australia, UK, Japan, at South Korea.

“A lot were to be reunited with their families. May mga asawa dito na Filipina. Some said, ‘I haven’t seen my fiancé for 18 months and I’m excited to see her, I came home because I want to help the typhoon victims’,” sabi ni Romulo-Puyat sa isang virtual interview ngayong Lunes.

“Meron din nagsabi na, ‘I want to build homes for the typhoon victims.’ I saw a family from Bulgaria, they wanted to vlog... A lot were coming here because they wanted to come here for business,” ani kalihim.

“I hope tuloy-tuloy na ito, ‘wag sana magkaroon ng bagong variant of concern, but of course nobody can predict that. That’s the only thing I can see na will stop everything, if there’s a new variant of concern identified by the WHO (World Health Organization),” saad pa ng opisyal.

“Without it tuloy-tuloy na ito. We’re vaccinated, we’re getting our booster shots.” Ayon sa opisyal, ang ahensiya ay nakapagbakuna na kontra-COVID-19 ng 92 porsiyento ng mga tourism workers sa buong bansa habang ilang tourist destinations gaya ng Boracay, Baguio City ay may 100% vaccination rate na at sinimulan na ring mag-administer ng booster shots.

“Mas masaya sila sa bakuna kesa sa ayuda. This means kasi malapit na kami magbukas, this means we’re safe,” pahayag ni Romulo-Puyat. “Even a foreigner can get his booster shot for free. Now we have so much vaccines we’re ready to be vaccinated,” dagdag niya.

Nagpahayag naman ng kasiyahan ang DOT chief dahil sa nabuksan niyang muli ang turismo ng bansa bago siya umalis sa kanyang opisina.

“Akala ko lalakad lang ako by the beach, or promote (tourist destinations) but challenges after challenges. But ang maganda naman happy ang ending natin,” wika ni Romulo-Puyat.

18 to 65-anyos, oks nang mag-staycation sa mga hotel

ni Ronalyn Seminiano Reonico | May 28, 2021

Maaari nang mag-operate nang full venue capacity ang mga accredited hotels ng Department of Tourism (DOT), ayon sa Malacañang.

Ang mga DOT-accredited establishments na may certificate of authority ay puwedeng mag-accommodate ng guests for staycation up to 100% venue capacity, ayon kay Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

Dagdag ni Roque, ang mga edad 18 hanggang 65 lamang ang maaaring makapag-staycation.

Aniya pa, "These staycation hotels may also forego with the COVID-19 testing of guests as a prerequisite for accommodation as long as only 18 to 65 years old shall be allowed as guests.

"DOT-accredited accommodation establishments in areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), on the other hand, may accommodate guests for leisure purposes for up to 30% of their venue capacity subject to DOT guidelines and other conditions.”

Ang NCR Plus na kinabibilangan ng Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna at Rizal ay isinailalim sa GCQ with "heightened" restrictions hanggang sa May 31.

Samantala, pinaalalahanan ng Malacañang ang publiko na mahigpit pa ring ipinatutupad ang mga health protocols katulad ng social distancing.

OFWs at tourism frontliners, prayoridad na rin sa bakuna

ni Mary Gutierrez Almirañez | May 28, 2021

Prayoridad na ring mabakunahan kontra COVID-19 ang mga empleyadong naka-assign sa isolation facilities at quarantine hotels o maituturing na tourism frontliners sa ilalim ng A1 priority group, batay sa Department of Tourism (DOT) ngayong araw, May 28.

Ayon kay DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, inaprubahan ng Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) ang rekomendasyon nila na itaas ang pagiging prayoridad ng mga nasabing empleyado dahil araw-araw nilang nakakasalamuha ang mga naka-quarantine na posibleng positive sa COVID-19.

Aniya, "It is high time that we protect our tourism frontliners knowing that they are risking their lives each time they show up in the designated quarantine and isolation hotels."

Dagdag niya, "This move shows the government's commitment to protect them. Not only will this decision help ensure the survival of the tourism industry, this will also hasten the country’s economic recovery.”

Maliban naman sa tourism frontliners ay prayoridad na rin sa bakuna ang mga paalis na Pinoy papuntang abroad para magtrabaho o ang mga outbound overseas Filipino workers (OFW).

"The IATF moved to Priority Group A1 the outbound overseas Filipino workers for deployment within the next four months from the intended date of vaccination," sabi pa ni Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

Sa ngayon ay tinatayang 2,507 tourism frontliners na ang nabakunahan kontra COVID-19. Samantala, umakyat na sa mahigit 4.7 million ang kabuuang bilang ng mga nabakunahan sa ‘Pinas.

Giit ni Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, "We were able to vaccinate already almost 4.7 million individuals. We are averaging 100,000 jabs per day.”