In Bohol, vaccination proof not enough for entry

TAGBILARAN CITY — The local government of Bohol will continue to require people entering the province to present negative coronavirus test results on top of proof of vaccination.

Dr. Yul Lopez, spokesperson of the Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF), said it was possible for fully vaccinated individuals to still be carrying SARS Cov2, the virus that causes COVID-19, or its variants.

“Experts say that even fully vaccinated persons can still get infected by COVID-19. So it is possible that they can still be carriers,” he said.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced last Sunday (July 4) that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to present negative test results if traveling within the Philippines.

Roque said travelers need only to present vaccination proof to cross borders.

But according to Lopez, the League of Provinces, the group of governors representing all provinces, requested the national IATF to suspend the implementation of the policy mentioned by Roque.

“The League of Provinces has a pending request to National IATF to respect local situations (like Bohol) and put on hold this new order,” Lopez said.

The Bohol health official also raised concern over the possibility that some individuals may use fake vaccination cards just to enter the province.

“There is a big concern on the assurance that vaccination cards are genuine and not fake,” Lopez said.

“If the local government unit will be tricked by a fake vaccination card, it would pose a big problem since there is no testing done upon entry,” he said.

TSB