Cebu-bound travelers from Bohol, Negros provinces required to present negative RT-PCR or antigen tests

(Eagle News) — Travelers going to Cebu from Bohol and Negros provinces are required to present negative RT-PCR or antigen tests.

The Cebu government made the announcement in a statement posted on its official Facebook account.

According to the provincial government, the RT-PCR test must have been taken within 72 hours before the trip.

The rapid antigen test, on the other hand, must have been done within 48 hours before the travel.

Earlier, the national government announced that all international flights bound for Cebu should be diverted to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

This was after Cebu defied the mandatory COVID-19 testing of all passengers seven days after arrival in the country, as contained in the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases Resolution 116-A.

Under the resolution, all inbound passengers from abroad should undergo quarantine of a total of 10 days quarantine in a facility, including the seventh day during which they are supposed to be tested.

The remaining four days can be completed under home quarantine.

In veering away from the approach, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia had said the rule was “repressive.”

In a television interview, Palace spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to decide whether to extend or not the order to divert the flights, which was supposed to have lapsed on June 12.