By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Sipalay City in Negros Occidental will reopen its doors to tourists starting Friday, November 6.
In an executive order signed by Mayor Maria Gina Lizares, residents of the city are allowed to stay at the city’s local tourism establishments, provided they have no travel history outside of the province within 30 days prior to their stay in the city’s accommodation establishments. They are also required to file a health declaration form upon check-in
Non-resident tourists such as those from Bacolod City and other parts of the province and foreign tourists are also allowed to enter the city, although they must have no travel history outside of the province within 30 days prior to their stay.
Foreign tourists, however, must be in the province or in Bacolod City before October 1 in order to enter Sipalay.
Non-resident tourists are required to register through the Sipalay City Tourism Online Registration Form through tinyurl.com/Sipalay, as well as upload a copy of any government issued IDs (for adults) or student ID and booking confirmation from the establishment.
After which they must bring their email confirmation received from the City Tourism Office upon arrival at the border checkpoint.
They are also required to secure a copy of negative rapid nasal antigen test taken from a Department of Health-accredited testing center or the Sipalay City Health Office on the day of their travel to the city.
Negative RT-PCR test results will also be honored, provided the result was released within five days from the date of swabbing.
Tourists with negative test results but are showing symptoms of Covid-19 will not be allowed to enter the city.
Visiting relatives coming from other towns and cities in the province, including Bacolod City, are also allowed to enter Sipalay and have an overnight stay, provided they coordinate with local Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTS). During their stay, BHERTS will monitor the health status of the visitors.
Meanwhile, mass gatherings are also allowed in the city although it would be strictly limited to 50 percent of the venue capacity only.
All establishments in the city are also ordered to close every Sunday for decontamination with the exception of pharmacies, water stations, couriers, and bakeries.
Lizares added all residents and tourists are also required to observe the city’s 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. curfew everyday./DGB, WDJ