Coves in San Antonio town, Zambales were among the popular tourist destinations in the province prior to the pandemic. On Friday (May 28), Zambales began accepting tourists again coming from low-risk areas. (Photo by Joanna Rose Aglibot)
SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — The provincial tourism office will now allow the use of saliva testing in accommodating visitors to this province.
In an advisory on Saturday (May 30), the tourism office said visitors could present a negative result using saliva tests performed by laboratories authorized by the Department of Health (DOH).
Initially, only reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests taken not more than 48 hours before traveling to Zambales had been required of tourists.
Apart from COVID-19 negative test results, tourists would also be required to pre-register at an online visitor’s platform, S-Pass or VisITA application to be able to enter the province.
The tourism office clarified that the S-Pass is intended for traveling for work, residents returning from other countries, for medical purposes or those who deliver essential goods or services.
The VisITA app, on the other hand, is for those traveling for leisure or for guests of Local Government Units, National Government Agencies and private companies who will stay at Department of Tourism (DOT)-accredited establishments.
“Validation of incoming travel requests in the VisITA app is done from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m by Zambales Tourism Office staff. Travel requests submitted after 10 p.m. will be acted upon at 6 a.m. the next day,” it said.
After shutting its doors on tourists for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the province started to accept again tourists aged 15-65 who are from modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) areas since May 28.