No need for travel authority to visit MGCQ areas

THE Joint Task Force (JTF) Covid Shield said local tourists can now freely visit areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) without need for a travel authority.

However, they are required to secure a travel authority if they have to pass through areas that are under general community quarantine, modified enhanced community quarantine or enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Lieutenant General Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, JTF commander, said only those coming from areas under the MGCQ or without community quarantine status are allowed to visit tourist spots in areas under MGCQ.

Eleazar cited the case of Tagaytay City in Cavite, which received a crowd of tourists after it opened over the weekend.

Although the Tagaytay City Government does not require visitors to present a travel authority, those who intend to go there will still have to secure such a document if they cross the borders of Metro Manila and Batangas, both of which are still under GCQ.

Tourists from MGCQ areas going directly to another MGCQ area without passing through LGUs under another quarantine level no longer need a travel authority.

Eleazar said LGUs that open their borders to tourists have the discretion to implement their protocols to prevent the spread of the virus in their respective areas.

“LGUs may or may not require a travel authority for entering tourists. We leave the decision to them for as long the travel protocols are still observed when they open their borders to tourists,” he said.

Eleazar also noted that health protocols implemented by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), particularly the wearing of face mask and face shield and the observance of physical distancing must be followed at all times. (SunStar Philippines)