Top tourist destinations ‘open’ to removing RT-PCR tests for domestic travelers: presidential adviser

September 29, 2021 Madrid

MANILA – Governors of provinces around the country are “open” to easing restrictions for domestic air travel for the fully vaccinated to boost tourism activities, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said Tuesday.

Both Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have been calling for lesser quarantine days for international arrivals and more open domestic travel by way of removing RT-PCR tests for fully vaccinated.

“We have to start allowing mobility for our tourism site, we met with our governors, mayors of the top tourists’ destinations,” Concepcion told ANC.

“We’re asking them to waive the PCR tests that’s a very expensive test. They’re open to the idea of allowing airlines to fly passengers without PCR tests anymore,” he added.

Unvaccinated passengers who are allowed to travel will still need to get an RT-PCR test under Concepcion’s proposal.

Shortage in supply will no longer be an issue for those willing to get the jab against COVID-19 since 60 million doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca alone are expected to arrive in the next 2 months, he said.

Concepcion said he also asked the coronavirus task force to reduce quarantine days for international travelers coming from North America as well as vaccinated overseas workers.

He said quarantine could be reduced to 5 days instead of 10 days.

Airlines are also pushing for the lifting of the arrival cap for international travelers, currently set at 2,000 per day.