Face masks and vaccination cards are no longer required in tourism enterprises, according to a memorandum issued by the Department of Tourism (DOT) on Sunday to further ease health and safety protocols in these establishments.
Based on DOT Memorandum Circular 2023-0002, tourists are no longer required to present proof of full vaccination in tourism enterprises.
Wearing face masks is no longer required as well, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said in a statement.
These new guidelines are part of the agency’s efforts to help tourism stakeholders recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This latest issuance on the relaxed health and safety guidelines for tourism establishments reinforces the Department of Tourism’s commitment towards addressing the economic hardships of the tourism industry brought about by the lockdowns and restrictions of the pandemic,” Frasco said.
“It sends the important message across that, under the Marcos Administration, our country is open for tourism, and that we are keeping up with global practices on tourism operations that have already opened up worldwide,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Philippines logged 170 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, while the active tally dropped to 9,058.
This was the fourth straight day that more than 100 COVID-19 infections were reported daily.
The number of active cases also went down from 9,355 on Friday.
There are now 66,143 deaths, including 10 new fatalities.
The country’s caseload is currently 4,076,866, based on the Department of Health’s (DOH) latest report.
The regions with the highest number of new infections were the National Capital Region (NCR) with 446, followed by the Davao Region with 230, Calabarzon with 209, Soccsksargen with 120, and Caraga with 86.
An additional 449 patients recovered from the viral disease, bringing the cumulative total to 4,001,665.
A total of 7,870 individuals were tested on Friday, while 321 testing laboratories submitted data.
As of Friday, the bed occupancy rate in the country stood at 16.3 percent, with 4,107 occupied and 21,082 vacant beds.