OFFICIALS of Cebu City and Cebu Province welcomed the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to allowing domestic travel for fully vaccinated individuals and not obligating them to present the negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results currently required by some receiving local government units (LGU).
Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera said the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for which he serves as deputy chief implementer, endorsed to Mayor Edgardo Labella on June 14, a resolution stating that there is no need to collect negative RT-PCR test results and other medical requirements from fully vaccinated employees.
He said the EOC’s recommendation is similar to Resolution 124-B issued by the IATF.
The EOC considers an individual fully vaccinated after 14 days of receiving the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine, Garganera said on Tuesday, July 6, 2021.
He said loosening the requirements for domestic travelers could be seen as an “incentive,” and it could encourage people to register for vaccination as they would no longer have to fulfill paperwork when they decide to travel to other parts of the country.
Garganera said the EOC is waiting for Labella to issue an executive order on this matter.
In Cebu City, 165,241 individuals were already inoculated with a Covid-19 vaccine—118,807 received the first dose, while 46,434 received the second dose.