Soon, ‘health’ passports

Tourism-related businesses like airline, travel and tour, hotels, restaurants, malls, and other industries prepare to re-open and restart their operations and businesses with the onset of “new normal” under the government’s general community quarantine (GCQ). The GCQ in these areas will take effect starting midnight this Friday, or May 1.

As announced last week by President Rodrigo Duterte, the government will gradually relax the existing lockdown rules and regulations in certain areas identified by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Disease (IATF-EID). Previously placed under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), areas deemed “low risk” from infection of the deadly 2019 coronavirus disease, or COVID-19 pandemic will be reclassified as GCQ.

In a public address last Monday night, President Duterte thanked the Filipino people, especially those who comply with quarantine rules. But even while downgraded to GCQ, the President reminded the people to continue observing the “social’ or physical distancing, wearing of face masks and other health and hygiene measures to protect selves from COVID-19 infection.

Classified as “low-risk areas” include the following provinces, namely: Apayao -Mountain Province -Ifugao -Kalinga -Ilocos Sur -Batanes -Quirino -Aurora -Palawan -Romblon -Camarines Norte -Sorsogon -Masbate -Guimaras -Bohol -Biliran -Eastern Samar -Leyte -Northern Samar -Southern Leyte -Zamboanga Del Norte -Zamboanga Sibugay -Bukidnon -Camiguin -Davao Occidental -Sarangani -Agusan Del Sur -Dinagat Island -Surigao Del Norte -Surigao Del Sur -Agusan Del Norte –Basilan; and Sulu.

Some areas like Capiz, Aklan, Antique and parts of Davao region are also set to be downgraded to GCQ after the lapse of the first ECQ extension tomorrow April 30. Authorities have yet to assess if the following “moderate-risk” areas will be placed under ECQ or GCQ: Abra, Ilocos Norte, and La Union.

As recommended by the IATF, President Duterte approved an extension for the second time of ECQs until May 15 in Metro Manila and other areas classified as “high-risk” on the continuing spread of the COVID-19 infection. Thus, these areas would still be subject to the required ECQ passes and other restrictions imposed by the IATF.

In his latest public address after the IATF meeting at Malacanang, President Duterte reiterated his concern that the pandemic would remain a public health crisis in our country for a long time not unless sooner an anti-COVID-19 vaccine is developed. This is a problem not only in the Philippines but for the rest of the global community reeling with the COVID-19 contagion.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus has infected 2.87 million and killed more than 200,000 people in more than 200 countries across the globe. The contagion has spread around the world following its first outbreak in Wuhan, China in December last year. In a bid to curb COVID-19 infection, world leaders locked down their respective countries. Thus, all air travels were grounded and other means of transportations suspended to restrict movement of people as carriers and spreaders of COVID-19.

In the Philippines, all commercial air travels from international to domestic flights have been suspended since March 15. The IATF exempted cargo and “sweeper” flights to pick up and return stranded foreigners back to their respective countries and to repatriate our own overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) caught in the lockdown in other countries.

And with the second extension of the ECQ in Metro Manila, air travels will not resume until after the quarantine period ends on May 15. But for areas reclassified as GCQ,  airports and seaports would be partially re-opened under the so-called “new normal” of the COVID-19 protocols enumerated in the “minimum health standard” guidelines of the IATF.

The travel industry have long prepared for this kind of “new normal” that we all have to live with. These protocols will protect not only their customers and passengers but more so to ensure the safety and health of their own frontline workers from pilots and crewmembers and the rest of the airline and transport industries.

Being readied is a proposed measure to implement a “health passport” that would contain a person’s health data to help detect possible “carrier” of COVID-19-infection. This is one of the proposed measures under a “new normal” for travel business following the world’s experience on the COVID-19 contagion.

This proposal was first broached in media interview by Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and consumer experience Candice Iyog. “A health or immunity passport is among possible measures,” Iyog disclosed. As being mulled by the industry, according to Iyog, the “health passports” can be color-coded to determine whether or not a person can be allowed to clear immigration based on his or her health history.

“We expect COVID-19 will change security screening, wherein health is part of safety and security screening,” Iyog told a recent ANC tele-conference interview. “Definitely, the new normal will be contactless with high digital adoption,” Iyog announced.

As to how the “health passport” will look like and how it will be implemented are still in the works.

Once the travellers are on the grounds, tourism stakeholders have laid out also separate safety protocols for the operations of hotels and other accommodation establishments in areas under GCQ. A number of hotels currently allowed to operate in areas under ECQ are those with long staying guests, stranded tourists as well as transiting foreign nationals.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat will present in the meeting today of the IATF these proposed safety protocols drawn up in consultation with the private sector under the umbrella of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines.

The proposed “health passport” in the Philippines could be a good initiative of the Philippines for the rest of the world emerging out of COVID-19 contagion.