THE Department of Tourism (DOT) announced that Baguio hotels can resume receiving domestic tourists even under general community quarantine (GCQ).

This came after the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) passed Resolution 98, dated February 4, 2021, which granted the request of Baguio City to resume hotel operations in consideration of the huge number of confirmed bookings for the month of February.

“Given Baguio City’s visitor information, registration and contact tracing system and the assurance to undertake stricter measures to make it work, we objectively endorsed the request to the IATF for guidance,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

The resolution permits Baguio City hotels and other accommodation establishments to accommodate travelers for leisure purposes while under a GCQ classification, subject to its continued strict observance of health and safety protocols and contact tracing measures.

Baguio City was specifically granted said authority in recognition of its institutionalized protocols on registration requiring all to have a Visita account, easy contact tracing of visitors using the QTP (QR-coded Tourist Pass) system and strict triage procedures upon arrival.

The DOT, for its part, has been directed to come up with guidelines for the accommodation of guests for leisure and business purposes in areas under different levels of community quarantine. (PR)