JOINT TASK Force Covid Shield commander, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Sunday said there is a need for a policy requiring all domestic passengers of commercial ships and airlines to produce a medical clearance certificate (MCC) before they are allowed to board.
“The MCC for travelers is one of the minimum health safety protocols that we have to continuously observe for the safety of everybody because as we have been saying even before, the threat of coronavirus infection is still high,” Eleazar said in a statement.
Eleazar said this proposal aims to ensure the safety of all ship and airline passengers and also harmonize with the health safety protocols being implemented by the local government units (LGUs) for the security of their constituents from the Covid-19 sickness that might be accidentally brought by travelers.
Earlier, Eleazar held a teleconference meeting with airline industry stakeholders, government security agencies for sea and air travels, and representatives of the LGUs who initiated the discussion on requiring the presentation of MCC for all domestic sea and air travels.
He said they are now coordinating with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) through Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, in cooperation with Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Archie Gamboa, for air travels; and Philippine Coast Guard Commandant, Vice Admiral George Ursabia, for sea travels, for strict implementation of this policy.
“We have to require the MCC for the peace of mind not only of all the ship and airline passengers but also of the local government officials and their constituents of the travelers’ points of destination across the country,” he said. (By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)
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