BACOLOD CITY – The City of San Carlos in Negros Occidental has scrapped the Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage (S-PaSS) travel coordination permit for returning residents coming from Toledo City in the neighboring Cebu Province effective Tuesday.
The directive is stated in the travel advisory dated March 15 issued by the northern city’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and approved by Mayor Renato Gustilo.
“S-PaSS is no longer required since the Province of Negros Occidental is tagged as ‘unrestricted’. This is being recommended and found practical to ease the burden of returning residents,” EOC manager Joe Recalex Alingasa Jr. said.
Fully vaccinated travelers from Toledo port to San Carlos port are required to present a verifiable vaccination card while those partially vaccinated or unvaccinated need to submit a negative result of either reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test or rapid antigen test (RAT).
The RT-PCR test result is valid within 72 hours from swab sample extraction while the RAT result is only for 48 hours.
All returning residents must also present a proof of residence as shown in a valid government-issued identification card or in its absence, a confirmation from the EOC’s travel assistance desk, which will issue a notice of acceptance.
Copies of the travel advisory have been furnished to all shipping lines, Philippine Coast Guard Sub-Stations in San Carlos and Toledo, and Philippine Ports Authority.
As of 5 p.m. on Monday, San Carlos City has zero active Covid-19 cases, data from the city government showed. (PNA)
