Now that COVID-19 cases have been slowing down and the borders are gradually opening up once again, the majority of the local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) are still requiring to submission of a negative RT-PCR test before entering the province as part of their health measures to contain the spread of the virus.
The long wait is over. As of September 27, 2021, AirAsia Philippines voiced out their strong support to the local government units (LGU) to remove the negative RT-PCR tests as a travel requirement for incoming visitors who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
As to Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, other local government units such as Palawan, Aklan, and Cebu impel for lesser restrictions and a more simplified entry requirement for fully vaccinated travelers. Meanwhile, the provincial government of Bohol said that vaccine cards must be fully authenticated to allow the mobility of vaccinated tourists.
According to AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla, AirAsia is 100% behind the LGUs calling for a more relaxed travel restriction and requirement for fully vaccinated individuals to lessen the cost of air travel. Isla said this is one way to incentivize those who took the shot and encourage more to do the same.
“It’s Christmas season in the Philippines, and after almost two years of not being able to travel due to the pandemic, Filipinos would surely want to spend time with family in the provinces or just simply enjoy the beach and the sun in the many leisure destinations in the country,” Isla added.
In addition, the City Government of Tacloban thru EO 2021-07-028 was among the first to successfully implement the use of vaccination cards in place of testing requirements for returning residents and tourists. Other LGUs such as Dumaguete, Cotabato, Guimaras and Butuan followed suit in accepting tourists.
Around 100,000 individuals are now vaccinated in Tacloban and 54,437 of them received their full dose of the vaccine.
AirAsia for its part is incorporating the health travel icon on its Super App with the Department of Health’s (DOT) VaxCertPH to make travel smooth for accepting LGUS.
Isla appended that once the health travel icon on AirAsia Super App rolls out, it will bring ease for the LGU’s to verify the passenger’s vaccination authenticity in accepting fully vaccinated individuals. Hence, this definitely will speed up the recovery not only of the airline industry but the tourism sector as a whole.
AirAsia PH is also pushing for a shortened 5-day to zero quarantine period for fully vaccinated international travelers. Mr. Isla who is also the President of the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP) said this move will also entice more travelers from the U.S. and other European countries to reconsider their plans of visiting the Philippines.
With all the improvement and re-modeling that the airline has been making, AirAsia assures the safety of their staff and guests as their top priority. 100% of AirAsia Philippines’ flight crew and ground staff are already vaccinated against COVID-19 so guests can be assured of the highest safety and hygiene standards at all times.
AirAsia Group remains on the list of the leading airlines to achieve the top 7/7 rating for being Covid-19 safe by the aviation experts at Airlineratings.com. Over recent times the airline has implemented numerous contactless procedures during check-in, boarding, inflight, and baggage collection.
