By Christine Fabro
Malacañang has extended the diversion of all international flights bound for Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) until 11:59 p.m. on June 12.
The international flights were first rerouted from May 29 to June 5 to decongest the accredited quarantine facilities in Cebu City.
The diversion of international flights from MCIA to NAIA was then lifted on June 6.
However, the flights were diverted again after a memorandum was released by the Office of the Executive Secretary stating that the move was made to seamlessly implement the travel and testing protocols approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
“Nagpalabas ang Office of the Executive Secretary ng isang memorandum na nag-extend ng diversion ng international flights bound for Mactan-Cebu International Airport sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport hanggang June 12, 2021,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a public briefing on June 8.
“Ito po ay para maayos iyong pag-i-implement ng IATF arrival protocols sa Cebu,” he added.
The spokesperson said the IATF protocols on arriving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (OFs) will take effect in Cebu on June 13.
IATF Resolution No. 96 of January 26 provides that all OFWs and OFs are required to undergo a 14-day mandatory, facility-based quarantine upon their arrival. They will undergo an RT-PCR test on the fifth day after arrival. After testing negative, they will be allowed to continue on to their destination local government units (LGUs) and finish the remainder of their 14-day quarantine under the monitoring of the LGU. – jlo
