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Scrap travel restrictions, unnecessary requirements amid end of global health emergency, says JV Ejercito

May 10, 2023

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Wednesday said the national government should already remove most of the travel restrictions and requirements it had put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the World Health Organization (WHO) announcing the end of the recent global health emergency triggered by COVID-19, Ejercito said a vaccine card should already suffice as proof of one’s resistance to the virus.

“Kakadeclare lang ng WHO recently na tapos na yung global health emergency dahil sa COVID-19. Kaya sabi ko, baka naman pwedeng i-scrap na itong e-travel passes to make it more convenient for travellers,” he said in an interview.

“Basta meron tayong vaccine certificate, that will be enough already para makapasok sa bansa. Ibig sabihin, protektado na yung pumapasok sa ating bansa,” he added.

Ejercito recounted how he almost missed his flight back to the country last year after he encountered some logistical challenges in registering for an electronic travel pass.

“Noong ako’y nagreregister para makakuha ng One Health Pass at the time. Minsan, mabagal yung internet. Muntikan na akong hindi makasakay,” he said.

The Department of Health (DOH) said 94.62 percent or around 73.8 million of the eligible population has already been vaccinated.

Moreover, the lawmaker from San Juan said there is no need for the national government to implement a new round of lockdowns amidst the growing COVID-19 positivity rate in the country.

Aside from the success of the government’s vaccination program, he said Filipinos are far more disciplined compared to other nationalities when it comes to following minimum health protocols.

“We still follow yung mga health protocols [...] but we cannot afford any more lockdowns o yung mga ECQ. Because after two years of being under this situation, ang ekonomiya natin ay talagang bumagsak. So, we are in the recovery stage. Hopefully, magtuloy-tuloy ito,” Ejercito said.

According to OCTA Research, the national COVID-19 positivity rate has now reached 17.2 percent.

The DOH said it already expected the national positivity rate to increase, given the ongoing decline in tests being conducted. 

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