Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Friday she supports proposals for a vaccine passport for local tourists to help encourage travel as the jabs begin to roll out.
Some governments are considering vaccine passports as a digital document that contains the travelers vaccination status, including the dates of the first and second COVID jabs.
"Definitely, anything that will promote ease of travel, we are for. In fact, other countries have already been talking about the vaccine passport," she told Summit Sandwich Sessions.
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The vaccine passports will be checked at international borders, but can also be used in commercial establishments such as restaurants, malls, hotels, and cinemas.
Quarantine requirement stays
Romulo-Puyat said she mostly gets this question from balikbayans in the United States who have already been vaccinated and wish to skip quarantines when they land in the Philippines. However, she reiterated that quarantines of 14 days are still needed.
For now, medical frontliners are getting vaccinated against the virus. While Filipinos are waiting for the jab, Romulo-Puyat stressed compliance with minimum public health standards such as wearing of face masks and shields, social distancing, and frequent disinfection.
She also emphasized the importance of checking a destination's safety protocols before heading out.
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