AFTER months of prohibition due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) threat, non-essential and tourism activities will now be allowed in Sipalay City.
Mayor Maria Gina Lizares on Friday, October 30, 2020, signed Executive Order (EO) No. 2020-048, lifting the moratorium on non-essential and tourism-related travel in the southern Negros Occidental city.
Under which, non-essential conditions of travel will be allowed in the city starting November 1.
Those entering and leaving Sipalay City must at least comply with the travel form and additional requirements depending on the purpose of travel and duration of stay in the city or places of destination.
Those who intend to visit their relatives must coordinate ahead with their respective barangay midwife or Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams for profiling and monitoring.
For non-residents working in the city, they must comply with the travel forms at all times and declare their health status with their respective employers.
Residents working in "non-high-risk" areas outside Sipalay City will be allowed to travel anytime, but those who are working in an identified "high-risk" areas will be denied entry.
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.
It is also actively promoting sustainable tourism. It hosts a protected marine sanctuary and implements zero-waste projects, cave management and community-based ecotourism programs, among others.
In terms of tourism-related travel, the local government will start accepting non-resident tourists on November 6.
All incoming tourists must comply with the requirements and accomplish the Online Tourist Registration Form through tinyurl.com/Sipalay at least three days prior to the visit.
The EO stated that non-resident tourists will be allowed to enter through the Cartagena and Nabulao borders traveling with vehicles like cars, vans, tricycles and motorcycles, either rented or personally owned.
It said staycation is the only authorized tourism activity in the scheduled reopening.
Walk-in booking will be allowed for residents only, while non-contact sports or activities will also be allowed but with strict observance of applicable minimum health protocols.
"Dive schools are also allowed to operate provided that those who will enroll shall be required to have negative RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test results valid five days from the date of swabbing," it added.
The city has set more guidelines, including prohibitions, amid the resumption of its tourism activities.
Those coming from areas with high prevalence of Covid-19 local transmission shall not be allowed entry.
Tourists are also not allowed to transfer to different accommodation establishments and leave the premises for activities like city tours, adventure tours, hiking and treks, camping, resort and island hopping, group outdoor sports, social gathering with residents, team building activities, as well as travel to city proper for purchases.
It can be recalled that the local government first imposed a 17-day moratorium on tourism-related and non-essential travel on August 14 to curb the increasing local transmission of Covid-19 in the province.
The directive, which took effect until August 31, was provided in EO 2020-033 issued by the mayor.
The ban was extended until September 15, through EO 2020-034. Another order, EO 2020-035, was issued by Lizares, extending the moratorium until September 30.
The city government has again extended the ban on tourism-related and non-essential travels within its jurisdiction until October 15.
On September 30, Lizares issued EO 2020-040, extending the moratorium for another 15 days.
This was in response to the general community quarantine status of Bacolod City, which started October 1. The Sipalay City Government and the local inter-agency task force (IATF) deemed it necessary to complement the IATF-Emerging Infectious Disease resolution by extending the moratorium, the mayor added.
Under the directive, 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.
During the moratorium, also prohibited are visits to relatives and friends, church-related activities, school-related transactions and house-to-house retail selling.