Speaker wants to expand Covid-19 testing for tourism front-liners

SPEAKER ALLAN Peter Cayetano wants to further expand the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) testing program to cover tourism front-liners.  

In a statement on Monday, Cayetano said the expanded testing strategy for tourism front-liners is a necessary step in the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) plan to tap domestic leisure travel as a huge “catalyst” to reboot Philippine tourism.

He also urged the department to work with the Task Force Test, Trace, Treat (T3) and its private sector partners to accelerate the plan to test workers in key tourist destinations in the country for Covid-19.

“An aggressive and sustained Covid-19 testing of our tourism front-liners is necessary to facilitate faster recovery in the tourism industry and ensure safe working environment,” said Cayetano.

“With the increased testing capacity in the country, tourism workers can be included in the expanded testing program. This initiative can help build trust and confidence of the domestic tourists as we begin to reopen more economic activities in the next few months,” he added.

A recent “Philippine Travel Survey” by the DOT showed that 77 percent of respondents expressed their willingness to travel to local destinations once restrictions are lifted.

On July 2, the Inter-Agency Task Force issued Resolution No. 51, approving the National Task Force’s recommendation to further expand the Covid-19 testing strategy to maximize the 10 million test kits procured by the Department of Health and the Department of Budget.

“Now is the best time to assess and plan to rebuild our domestic tourism industry. Our tourism sector needs to adapt, innovate and manage the changing requirements of local tourists as we transition to new normal phases,” Cayetano said.

He noted that under the proposed Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy (ARISE) Act, mass testing for Covid-19 shall be done in areas where the higher possibility of transmission of the disease may occur or have occurred.

The ARISE bill, which seeks to allocate the amount of PHP10 billion for 2020 and 2021 for the conduct of mass testing, has been approved on third reading by the House of Representatives in June.

The bill also proposed to put up Covid-19 testing centers in tourist destinations to be identified by the DOT in partnership with the local government units and the health department to stimulate tourism and generate employment. (By Filane Mikee Cervantes)