Negros Oriental has eased restrictions on tourism-related activities to revive its local economy.
Governor Roel Degamo, in an executive order dated December 18, said that Negros Oriental was one of the provinces in Central Visayas that was hardly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused economic disruptions, loss of livelihood, income, and employment in the province.
The EO stressed that only those identified tourism activities in conjunction with the Department of Tourism (DOT)-mandated guidelines will be permitted under the new normal.
The permitted tourism activities in the province include diving, snorkeling, resort pool swimming, dolphin watching, beach activities, boating, kayaking, river cruising, stand-up paddleboarding, caving, canyoneering, birdwatching, waterfall sightseeing and other inland water-related activities such as zip-lining, biking, cycling, motorbike riding and ATV riding, hiking, nature trekking, mountaineering, and visitation to religious and cultural heritage sites and museums.
The EO reiterated the strict implementation of the health protocols such as the mandatory wearing of face masks and face shields, availability of hand-washing and sanitizing stations at the entrance of tourism-related facilities, physical distancing, installation of foot baths, mandatory temperature checks and filling out of health declaration forms, and the establishment of contact tracing systems.
Primary tourism enterprises such as hotels, resorts, apartments, tourist inns, pension houses, motels, and homestay will be required to secure an accreditation certification from the DOT.
Degamo said in the EO that members of the Tourist Police of the Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, and Bantay Dagat will be designated as the security and safety officers charged with overseeing all tourist-related activities and the enforcement of the prescribed safety and health protocols.
He also said that the opening of specific activities will be subject to the readiness of the establishment and approval of the local government unit having jurisdiction over the tourist sites.
He added that LGU’s recommendation should be the basis of the approval by the Negros Oriental Inter-Agency Task Force.*