THE Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) is set to allow fully vaccinated tourists outside Davao Region to enter the island.
Igacos Mayor Al David Uy confirmed this in a radio interview on Thursday, October 21, 2021.
"I will be issuing an executive order allowing vaccinated tourist, any place of origin, even from America, for as long as you are fully vaccinated," Uy said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
Prior to his pronouncement, the island, since it resumed accepting tourists, only catered to those residing within the region.
Uy said they won’t be accepting unvaccinated tourists outside the region.
He said that tourists within the region that remain unvaccinated or those who had not been fully vaccinated will still be accepted. The mayor, however, said that they must have an advance booking at their destined resort.
He also warned the public from presenting fake vaccination cards as they might face charges.
Uy said that tourists will also undergo strict symptoms screening upon entry.
Igacos, being a territorial jurisdiction of Davao del Norte, is currently under Alert Level 3 until October 31, 2021.
Under the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) guidelines, staycation resorts are only allowed to operate at 30 percent venue capacity.
But Uy said that since the local government knows the current Covid-19 situation in their area, he extended it to 60 percent.
"Mas nakahibalo man gud ang local chief executive unsa gyud ang dagan sa ground (The local chief executive knows the situation on the ground)," he said, adding that resorts are open spaces.
Staycation resorts with certification from the Department of Tourism (DOT) can accommodate up to 60 percent capacity, while those who do not are limited to 50 percent.
The bus routes between Davao City and Igaccos have also recently resumed on October 14, 2021, after more than a year of being suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Based on the bus trip schedule, the first trip from both Davao to Kaputian route and vice versa will be from 6 a.m. while the last trip from both routes will be at 6 p.m.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-Davao Region Director Nonito Llanos III told SunStar Davao in a recent interview that Uy wrote to LTFRB to allow the operation of bus traversing in and out of the island.
The City Government recently lifted some restrictions to allow the gradual opening of the tourism industry, the island's economic lifeline.
This after the island issued an EO lifting the 24 hour liquor ban to window hour, wherein selling of liquor will be allowed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
As of October 19, the Davao del Norte Provincial Health Office recorded 1,847 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Igacos, wherein 61 are active cases, 1,685 are recoveries, and 101 are deaths.