Sagada to open tourism based on Baguio outcome

 By Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, this town is considering opening its doors to visitors depending on outcome of tourism in Baguio set to resume this October.  
    Sagada Mayor James Pooten bared this during a recent webinar with Tourism Sec. Bernadette Puyat, Governors Jerry Dalipog and Melchor Diclas of Ifugao and Benguet respectively and mayors of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay (LISTT). 
    Pooten said should that happen; tourists who want to visit Sagada have to take a swab test in this town and subjected to quarantine.
    The municipal Covid ordinance provides no entry of non-residents except in cases of authorized persons outside of residence (APORs) otherwise they shall go on a 14 day quarantine period.
    Any person who enters the town from Covid infected areas is subjected to a 14 day quarantine and takes a swab test to determine if one has the Covid virus or not.   
    Sagada has not yet lifted resolution 110 – 2020 which provides closure or suspension of tourism in all areas, bookings of guests by accommodation establishments, all forms of business promotions/ads; tour engagements of tourist guides, and concerns related to tourism.
    Said resolution provided revised regulations temporarily governing tourism, commerce and industry, entry and exit of residents or non-residents of Sagada desiring to enter the municipality during this pandemic.
    In same webinar, Pooten reminded Puyat on the resolution of the Sangguniang Bayan here requesting for the DOT’s support for a molecular test lab.
    Puyat said she will be referring the matter to the Dept. of Health.
    Sagada for quite some time was Covid-free but got infected with three positive Covid patients from one locally stranded individual who came from Quezon City and two frontliners.
    They all recovered.  
    All 16 Covid- infected persons from the towns of Sagada, Besao, Bauko, Bontoc, Natonin, Barlig and Paracelis have also recovered.
    During said webinar, Puyat said she was intent on opening domestic tourism on open spaces.
    The DOT is considering opening the country to international visitors in the second half of 2021 and plans to gradually reactivate domestic tourism in the last quarter of the year 2020.
    Puyat said open spaces include trekking, mountain climbing, sightseeing, visiting rice terraces, and agri-tourism are among activities the tourist can do while visiting sites.
    Puyat added tourists have to follow protocols such as social distancing and wearing of masks.
    Baguio City is set to open its doors to tourism while Boracay started earlier.
    Baguio in partnership with Region 1 are set to open tourism  to local visitors  from La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte starting October with the “travel corridor” initiative between Baguio and Region 1 where residents  can visit their neighboring province’s tourism sites.
    Baguio has the highest number of Covid-infected persons in the Cordillera with 680 Covid infected persons, 411 recovered and 257 active cases as of September 25 DOH records reveal.  
    Benguet has 63 active cases from 286 Covid infected, Kalinga 4 active from 154 infected persons, Ifugao 11 active from 42 infected cases, Apayao 3 active from 33 covid positive, and Mountain Province with 16 covid infected cases has now zero cases where all have recovered as of September 25.
    Baguio requires tourists to pre-register using the Visitors Information and Tourist Assistance app, before they arrive in the city.
    Travelers are required to book in a hotel that has obtained a certificate authorizing operation from the Dept. of Tourism and local government.
    Tourists must be assisted by an accredited tour agency that would manage their itinerary. They will undergo mandatory triage and PCR testing upon arrival and the fee shouldered by them.
    Tourists must quarantine in the hotel for up to nine hours while waiting for the results. Those with a negative result can proceed with their itinerary, while those who test positive would be handled by the LGU and the hotel.
    Hotels obtaining a CAO and accredited tour operators monitor the travelers’ movements.