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Philippines

Guimaras lifts vax card requirement for W. Visayas travelers

Philippines

Guimaras lifts vax card requirement for W. Visayas travelers

By Tara Yap

ILOILO CITY -- After being under Alert Level 1 for months, people from Western Visayas region traveling to the island province of Guimaras no longer need to show their vaccination cards.

Following a resolution passed by the Guimaras Provincial Board, Governor Samuel Gumarin issued Executive Order No. 2022-28 to ease travel protocols against COVID-19.

Travelers riding a boat to the island province of Guimaras. (TARA YAP/MANILA BULLETIN)

This came as the small island province is trying to entice visitors for its annual Manggahan Festival, which celebrates the abundance of sweet mangoes as well as its 30th founding anniversary. The highlight of the festival is on May 20-22.

The island province is accessible to regional visitors via a 15-minute boat ride from Iloilo City. But many have been discouraged from visiting due to strict travel protocols.

The exemption for no vaccination cards only covers residents of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces as well as the highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.

Travelers coming in from outside of Western Visayas still need to show vaccine cards. If not vaccinated, the traveler must still present a test result saying they are not infected with COVID-19.

Despite the lifting of the mandatory vaccination cards, the Guimaras provincial government is still requiring travelers to fill out health declaration forms.

Meanwhile, the issuance of inbound and outbound travel passes have also been lifted.

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