ILOILO – Should international flights resume at the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan town?
“Puede. Pero gusto anay naton nga iplastar gid. May mga consequences eh,” said Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the airport received direct flights from Hong Kong and Singapore.
“Kon mag-resume kita international flights, may mga i-execute kita safety protocols,” said Defensor.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) recently said they were waiting for the go-signal from governor to resume catering to international flights.
Defensor said he would coordinate first with the Department of Health (DOH) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) regarding the protocols for returning overseas workers, and
While coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases are down, he said a new health concern has emerged abroad – “monkeypox”.
“Nagapanagang kita sa iban nga masakit…Gusto ko anay pulsohan ang DOH kag iban pa gid nga national government agencies kon ano ang direction so that maka-execute kita diri sang protocols para sa international flights,” added Defensor.
Executives of an airline, he said, recently sought an audience with him and sought his support for their planned resumption of international flights.
Friday last week, May 27, the national government announced it would no longer require a COVID-19 pre-departure test for incoming passengers who are fully vaccinated and had received at least one booster shot.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) adopted the Department of Tourism (DOT) recommendations to restore the country’s tourism sector.
According to IATF Resolution No. 168, foreign nationals aged 18 and above who have received the primary series COVID-19 vaccine and at least one COVID-19 booster shot are exempted from the pre-departure RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test requirement.
Also exempted are foreign nationals aged 12 to 17 who are “fully vaccinated” as well as foreign nationals aged below 12 who are accompanied by their fully vaccinated and boostered parents or guardians.
The same rule applies to incoming fully vaccinated Filipino nationals./PN
