BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio City government has temporarily suspended the issuance of quick response travel permits (QTP) for tourists or leisure travelers as the city prepares new guidelines for non-essential travels.
City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who himself is on mandatory quarantine after traveling to the United States to visit his parents during the holidays, said Monday he has been holding online meetings with city officials to set the new guidelines that will be formalized shortly by an executive order.
Aside from reducing the 5,000 daily visitor arrival ceiling, he said the city will also require leisure travelers from Metro Manila who have already been issued QTPs arriving until January 8 will be required to undergo Covid-19 antigen tests at their own expense.
City tourism officer, Aloysius Mapalo, said Sunday they are not on lock-down but they will no longer any excess to the “current pre-approved travels that already exceeded 5,000 daily until January 8.” He assured that the tourists are still in Baguio.
The QTP is the city’s way of counting and assuring that the daily arrival ceiling of 5,000 individuals will not be exceeded. The same is asked to be presented at the border checkpoint and community quarantine triage manned by the city police office before they are led to the Baguio Convention Center’s central triage where document verification and antigen tests for those exhibiting symptoms are done.
The city information office, in a message to the media, also clarified that the visitors already issued a QTP for January 2-8 will still be allowed to enter the city.