The government will soon allow staycation in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ).
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) approved last Sept. 10 the Department of Tourism (DoT) recommendation to allow staycation in GCQ areas such as Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
She said this is part of their efforts "to explore various ways in restarting tourism activities during quarantine."
Puyat said a staycation involves "minimum overnight stay for leisure purposes in a DoT-accredited Accommodation Enterprise located in proximity with one’s residence."
Once it pushes thru, residents of Metro Manila may have a staycation within Metro Manila but subject to the regulations and requirements of local government units.
The DoT has yet to issue a memorandum circular on the specific guidelines of implementing this staycation, such as the maximum allowable number of persons in a guestroom, and the use ancillary services and facilities such as restaurants and recreational areas.
Puyat said these will be based on the comments and suggestions of the IATF.
The IATF earlier issued Resolution No. 70, which further relaxed restrictions in hotel and similar establishments to accommodate "markets of specialized programs of the Department of Tourism."
"Specialized programs of the DoT are focused on specific target markets that can safely contribute to the efforts of restarting economic activities through tourism," Puyat explained.
In the resolution, accommodation establishments may operate only upon the issuance of a Certificate of Authority to operate by the DoT and that hotel operations shall be limited to the provision of basic accommodation services to guests through an in-house skeleton workforce.
The operation of ancillary establishments within the premises, such as restaurants, cafes, bars, gyms, spas, and the like, shall be governed by the government's Omnibus Guidelines and other issuances of the other national agencies.
Metro Manila, Bulacan, Batangas, and Tacloban City are under GCQ until the end of the month. Iloilo City, Bacolod City, and Lanao del Sur have been placed under the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), while the rest of the country are under the modified GCQ.