BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Fast crafts servicing the Bacolod City – Iloilo City route and vice versa forwarded a proposal to Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas to enforce a “no vaccination, no travel” policy.
Frank Carbon, operator of Weesam Express, said such policy could replace the current travel requirement – travelers must undergo a reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and have a negative result for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Since both Iloilo and Bacolod cities and the provinces of Iloilo and Negros Occidental are now similarly under Alert Level 3, there shouldn’t be any more travel restrictions, he stressed.
Carbon cited the decision of Iloilo governor Arthur Defensor Jr. – that his provincial government won’t requiring negative RT-PCR test results from travelers from Bacolod City and Negros Occidental arriving at the Dumangas Port in Dumangas, Iloilo.
Early this week, due to a sharp drop in the volume of passengers fast crafts decided to temporarily suspend their operations.
The drop was being attributed to a pandemic-related requirement re-imposed once more by the city governments of Iloilo and Bacolod to inbound travelers from one other’s turf – presentation of negative results of the travelers’ RT-PCR tests that should be conduct not more than 72 hours before travel.
Iloilo City’s Mayor Treñas said he was not surprised, recalling a similar move by fast crafts last year. He advised those who have important travels to just take the ro-ro (roll n, roll off) ships serving the Dumangas, Iloilo – Bacolod City route and vice versa.
“Actually, subong diutay gid man ga-travel because high-risk kita sa region. Kon importante gid ang travel, pwede man ro-ro sa Dumangas,” said Treñas.
He justified the imposition of the RT-PCR negative test result requirement, citing rising COVID-19 cases and the threat of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus./PN