THE Lapu-Lapu City Government has cancelled its plans to accept foreign nationals after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the temporary ban on flights from the United Kingdom, and entry of foreign travelers from 18 other countries and one territory.
Duterte greenlighted the temporary ban because of the spread of a new Covid-19 variant in these places.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan had planned to accept tourists from other countries as part of the City's efforts to revive its tourism industry. But the recent developments pushed Chan to halt his plan.
The mayor's office already informed the IATF about its decision.
MCIA's move
The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), located in Lapu-Lapu City, started its temporary ban of foreign travelers from 19 countries and one territory at 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 30, 2020.
Edilyth Maribojoc of the corporate affairs office of MCIA operator GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., said in a press statement that the ban complies with Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases' resolutions on banning the entry of foreign travelers from places with reported cases of the new coronavirus strain.
These countries include Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Hong Kong, a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.
The MCIA operator said Filipino citizens coming from or who had visited any of the mentioned countries are allowed entry to the Philippines, but they will be required to undergo a stricter 14-day quarantine period regardless of the negative RT-PCR test result upon arrival.
Likewise, passengers already in transit and those who have been to these countries within 14 days from entry to the Philippines and who arrived before 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 30, will also be required to undergo stricter 14-day quarantine and testing protocols regardless of negative RT-PCR swab test result upon arrival.
The airport management also advised all passengers to follow health and safety protocol to ensure their health and safety and of their fellow passengers including the airport's staff. (GCM/WBS)