CORTES, Bohol, Aug. 1 (PIA) -- As the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the latest resolution on the risk-level classifications of provinces, highly urbanized and independent cities, Boholano travelers to nearby provinces may be affected.

With neighboring provinces and cities adopting their own traveler admission requirements and the national IATF updated quarantine classifications, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Western Bohol Station’s representative Seaman First Class (S1C) Michael Phillip Tan advises travelers from Bohol to ensure they register at the country’s online travel advisory site: s-pass.ph.

S-PaSS is a travel management system developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region 6 primarily intended to make travelling of Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs), Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs), Emergency Travelers (ETs), and other travelers during this pandemic "safe, swift, and smart."

The site also facilitates fast coordination between traveler and destination local government units by making information about travel requirements available in advance, Tan said during the Kapihan sa PIA detailing inter-provincial travel policies amid the pandemic.

For Boholanos or travelers originating from Bohol, when one registers at the s-pass.ph, one would be informed in advance of the quarantine classification of the place of destination or the travel requirements needed to get into a destination.  

The PGC, which is among those who would screen outbound passengers traveling via ports, said some provinces, due to the continued risk of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), would want to ensure that the entering traveler is free from the infection and requires a negative for COVID-19 result through a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Test result taken 72 hours prior to travel.

Meanwhile, other provinces, especially those which are classified with unrestricted travel, need no Travel Coordination Permit (TCP).

Destinations classified with restricted travel requires a TCP along with other requirements from LGUs of destinations, especially for Authorized Persons Outside Residents (APORS), essential travelers, LSIs, and leisure travelers, he said.

While the S-pass has not yet been updated, the national IATF which has approved another reclassification of places based on their risk assessments in its meeting on July 29 has placed some of Bohol’s neighboring islands in different classifications effective Aug. 1. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)