The Department of Tourism (DOT) has proposed the establishment of a green lane for COVID-19 fully vaccinated individuals to expedite their entry to the country as part of measures to further reopen the economy.
The proposal to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is being considered amidst the progress of worldwide vaccination and gradual easing of quarantine restrictions.
“The Green Lane will pave the way for the reopening of our tourist destinations to leisure travelers who are now fully vaccinated. It will give the jobs back to many of our tourism workers and gradually revive the tourism industry under safe conditions,” DOT Sec. Bernadette Puyat said.
The IATF-EID has already tasked the DOT and other agencies to explore protocols for inbound international travel for fully vaccinated individuals.
Malacaῆang announced on May 21 that a small working group has been formed for the evaluation of possible green lane implementation and its guidelines.
“We must keep pace with our neighbors and the rest of the world in slowly reopening our tourist destinations. We must be ready for the visitors when the whole world is ready to safely travel again,” Puyat said. (DOT)/ AG-rir
