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Baguio City tightens rules amid threat of Omicron variant

By Liza Agoot

January 4, 2022, 6:54 pm

BAGUIO CITY – The city has finalized new rules under Alert Level 2 classification amid the threat of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who is still on mandatory quarantine following his travel to the United States to visit his parents, signed Executive Order 01-2022 on January 3 providing for heightened restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 here.

“Having dealt with the earlier Delta variant and identifying our appropriate response actions, this is a crucial period to strengthen infection prevention and control measures so that our health care system and front-liners, as well as those industries that are sure to be affected, can prepare for this new variant’s anticipated impact,” Magalong said.

Under the new EO released on Tuesday, the city will implement a 12-hour liquor ban from midnight until noon the following day.

The Order also provides the imposition of curfew from midnight to 4 a.m.

While the city will continue to accept visitors, only 4,000 visitors registered online and issued with quick response travel permit (QTP) will be accepted per day.

According to the EO, tourism establishments are allowed to issue QTPs equivalent to 70 percent of their total capacity, using their respective triage.

Fully vaccinated tourists from areas under more stringent Alert Level 3 are required to present a negative result of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken 72 hours prior to their visit or undergo an antigen test at the city-managed or accredited facilities.

The same test result requirement is mandated to the tourists’ companions aged 12 to 17 years old.

Under the EO, unvaccinated adult tourists will not be accepted in the city. (PNA)

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