It will now be easier for fully vaccinated individuals to enter Negros Occidental.
They will no longer be required to submit negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results as long as they have vaccination cards indicating that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with verifiable Quick Response (QR) codes, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Monday, October 11.
This is a national protocol that is being implemented starting October, he said.
The vaccination cards that will be accepted are those issued by the Negros Occidental provincial government and from other areas uploaded in the Department of Information and Communications Technology portal with corresponding QR codes for swift verification, Diaz said.
The verifiable QR codes will prevent people from forging the vaccination cards, he said.
This will not only make travel easier for fully vaccinated individuals, it will also save them the expense of having RT-PCR tests to enter the province, he added.
“Vaccinated individuals deserve to have more freedom in terms of travel because they are the least threat to our health care system,” he said.
“They got vaccinated to protect themselves and their fellow Negrenses, there is no other way to move forward safely except by getting vaccinated,” Diaz said.
Those travelling to Negros Occidental will still need to register online for a Safe, Swift and Smart Passage (S-Pass) that requires a negative RT-PCR test for those who are not fully vaccinated or a verifiable vaccination card, he said.*