Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16) — The Philippines has no plan to reimpose strict travel measures despite the spike in COVID-19 cases, the tourism chief said Tuesday.
Asked at a Palace briefing if her department is looking at implementing tougher restrictions, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the COVID-19 pandemic already ended, as declared by the World Health Organization.
“While we continue to support the Department of Health’s measures as far as ensuring the health and safety of Filipinos, the direction of the Philippines is forward and that is to ensure that we continue to open up the country to travel and tourism,” Frasco explained.
On Monday, OCTA Research said that the rate of people testing positive for COVID-19 in Metro Manila and some provinces increased for the past week, with Camarines Sur, Quezon, and Rizal posting more than 40% positivity rate.
The Department of Health also reported that the country saw a total of 12,414 new COVID-19 cases during the week of May 8 to 14.
“Of course, all the minimum health standards are in place,” Frasco said, referring to DOT-accredited establishments.
The tourism industry was one of the sectors greatly hit by the pandemic as governments around the world limited people’s mobility to stop the spread of the virus.
Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed his position in June last year, his administration vowed to end hard lockdowns and pursue the safe reopening of the economy.
The department previously said that the tourism industry generated ₱208.96 billion in revenues after logging 2.65 million international visitor arrivals in 2022.
Frasco also announced during the briefing that the president approved the National Tourism Development Plan that would serve “as the blueprint and development framework for the tourism industry for the duration of the Marcos administration.”
READ: Marcos approves PH tourism development plan 2023-2028
