BACOLOD City – Tourism-related and non-essential travels in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental have been prohibited for 15 more days.
Mayor Maria Gina Lizares issued Executive Order (EO) 2020-034, extending the moratorium from Sept. 1 to Sept. 15 after the initial ban was imposed on Aug. 14 to Aug. 31 based on EO 2020-033.
“All tourists from outside Sipalay shall not be allowed to enter the city,” the mayor said her the directive.
The EO said all pre-booked accommodations of tourists covered by the duration of the moratorium will be rebooked or refunded by the resorts and accommodation establishments depending on the arrangement between the establishments and the clients.
Visits to relatives and friends, church-related activities, school-related transactions, and house-to-house retail selling are also not allowed during the 15-day period.
All travelers coming from or going to any declared high-risk areas shall not be allowed to enter or re-enter the city.
Returning residents from high-risk areas are required to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result.
“An RT-PCR result shall be considered valid starting from the date the swab test was taken. Thus, the travel to Sipalay City must be during the validity of the test result. Those who do not have valid RT-PCR results or have not been tested shall undergo the 14-day mandatory quarantine in the local facility,” Section 1.3 of the EO said.
Authorized persons outside residence from private and government agencies/offices will be only allowed to enter the city if they present a negative RT-PCR test result with the same validity period.
On the other hand, allowed to travel to the city are persons with medical-related transactions, business transactions with open establishments, government-related transactions, delivery of goods and items, non-residents from non-high-risk areas who are employed in Sipalay, and residents who are employed in non-high-risk areas.
Lizares earlier acknowledged that the moratorium will directly have an impact on the flourishing tourism industry of Sipalay, which has become popular among domestic and foreign tourists for its white-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters and breathtaking dive sites.
The mayor said the city government and the city’s Inter-Agency Task Force would assist employees of affected resorts and accommodation establishments.
In EO 2020-023, Lizares had initially allowed the resumption of tourist activities in select areas in Sipalay when Negros Occidental shifted to modified general community quarantine starting June 1. (With a report from PNA/PN)
