BY ARGYLL GEDUCOS
If you’re fond of writing travel memoirs or going to exotic places, then it’s time to get ready.
This is so after the government lifted the restrictions of non-essential outbound travel beginning October 21, 2020.
In an announcement over state-run PTV-4, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases allowed the non-essential outbound travel during their 79th meeting Thursday.
But leaving the country won’t be easy.
According to Roque, Filipinos may be allowed to leave the country so long as they have negative antigen test results taken within 24 hours before departure, subject to the Department of Health (DoH) guidelines.
They must also submit confirmed roundtrip tickets and adequate travel and health insurance.
Travelers are likewise required to execute an immigration declaration acknowledging the risks involved in traveling.
Outbound Filipino travelers shall likewise follow the Guidelines of the National Task Force (NTF) for returning overseas Filipinos.
On Saturday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the IATF has already “approved in principle” the easing of the restrictions of non-essential outbound travel.
Nograles, who co-chairs the IATF, said that the collegial body was just ironing out some details before making an official announcement to the public.
