TOURISTS planning to visit Sipalay City have to wait a little more to experience one of the major tourist destinations in the province.
Why? Tourism-related and non-essential travel in the southern Negros Occidental city is still prohibited until October 31.
Mayor Maria Gina Lizares yesterday signed Executive Order No. 2020-043 extending the moratorium on tourism-related and non-essential travel for another 15 days.
The order is in response to the City Tourism Council's unanimous decision not to cater tourists from outside the city for the rest of the month.
Lizares, in the EO, said non-essential travel included visits to resorts, accommodation establishments, and homestays as tourists as well as visits to relatives and friends.
Attendance to church or religious-related activities, mass gatherings, and social events like birthdays, weddings, baptism, wakes, and funerals, among others, are also not allowed.
Other activities considered as non-essential are house-to-house retail selling and entry of ambulant vendors from outside Sipalay, she added.
The order also provided for more guidelines in the implementation of the extended moratorium.
Persons traveling from outside the Sixth District shall be required to be quarantined at the Sipalay Quarantine Facility or at home for 14 days and shall be scheduled for RT-PCR Test.
The houses of returning residents shall be inspected by the City Health Office through the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team if these are suitable for strict home quarantine.
The EO stated that drivers and personnel of the delivery panels and trucks shall be required to present their Sipalay Travel Form, delivery order, or receipt and medical certificate issued by the health offices of their point of origin.
For ambulant vendors from outside the city, they shall be allowed to conduct business and transact at the city checkpoint areas only.
Immediate family members of the dead who are returning to attend the wake or funeral may be given special consideration provided that they properly coordinate with the Inter-Agency Task Force and follow all prescribed health protocols and guidelines.
They shall not be allowed to stay overnight, it added.
Tagged as the "Jewel of the Sugar Island," Sipalay City is one of the top contributors of tourist arrivals in the province.
The city is known for its natural attractions including white-sand beaches, crystal-clear water, breathtaking dive sites and resorts, and scenic sunset views, among other tourism offerings.
Also, it is actively promoting sustainable tourism. It hosts a protected marine sanctuary and implements a zero-waste project, cave management, and community-based ecotourism program, among others.
On September 30, Lizares issued EO 2020-040 extending the moratorium for another 15 days, until October 15.
On August 14, the local government first imposed a 17-day moratorium on tourism-related and non-essential travel to curb the increasing local transmission of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the province.
The directive, which took effect until August 31, is provided in Executive Order (EO) 2020-033 issued by Lizares.
The ban was extended until September 15, through EO 2020-034.
Another order, EO 2020-035, was issued by the mayor extending the moratorium until September 30.