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Ph not opening its border to international tourism until the second half of 2021

Discussion in 'News and Weather' started by DavyL200, Sep 10, 2020.

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  1. DavyL200

    DavyL200 DI Forum Luminary ★ Global Mod ★ ★ Moderator ★ Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    Manila, Sep 7 (efe-epa).- The Philippines will not open its borders to international visitors until the second half of 2021 and plans to gradually reactivate domestic tourism in October, a spokesman for the Department of Tourism told EFE on Monday.

    “When other countries lift border controls, the Department of Tourism expects international visitors from the region in the second half of 2021,” said spokeswoman Czarina Zara-Loyola.

    Rather than fully opening up to foreign visitors, the Philippines plans to create travel bubbles with countries in the region, which have generally been successful in containing COVID-19.

    The Philippines has imposed one of the longest and strictest quarantines in the world, which has particularly affected the tourism, transport and aviation sectors, as not only the country’s borders are closed, but movement between provinces is also restricted.

    To offset the losses in a sector that in 2019 came to represent 11 percent of GDP, the Department of Tourism plans the gradual reopening of domestic tourism in the last quarter of the year, at a time when the pandemic is increasingly under control , with the exception of Manila.

    “National tourism is the backbone of the industry. The Department of Tourism expects, with the support of local governments, its gradual activation from the last quarter of this year until the first six months of 2021,” said Zara-Loyola.

    https://www.laprensalatina.com/phil...ZJBlcON4SlrC2enmO0xfYurG2dksMe5vwHf3qw7XS8Usk
     
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  2. Dutchie

    Dutchie DI Senior Member Showcase Reviewer Veteran Army

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    Back in June, most countries in Europe also thought the pandemic was "increasingly under control".
    Right now, most of those same countries are experiencing their "second wave" and are approaching (France, Netherlands) or even exceeding (Spain) previous daily maximums of infections.
    For a country with a fragile healthcare system like the Philippines to declare the pandemic "increasingly under control", while testing so far has been marginal and slow because of severe capacity shortages, is best characterized as reckless.
     
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  3. Philpots

    Philpots DI Senior Member Restricted Account

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    If Manila is forecasted to be so slow in recovery and is not expecting tourism movement to recover until the second half of 2021 and the fact the Manila is the major centre of, the hub if you like, of movement to the provinces, then I fail to see how the rest of the country will be considered normal for tourism.
    There are a few other provincial airports available but some of those are not directly connected to most other counties unless you fly here by a round-about route which is generally more expensive. I fail to see how this news above is exciting or is going to solve anything. Stlll bad news for the Philippines and us in it. We wait and see just what the effect of a vaccine will have and especially in the Philippines just how available this is for those without money to pay for it. I really do not expect the government to give it away for free.
     
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  4. SkipJack

    SkipJack DI Senior Member

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    I don't know.
    First, Many people are flying through the Manila airport or staying in specifically designated traveler hotels in Manila without getting exposed to Manila residents.

    Second, The government has already stated that the vaccine will be made available to all citizens for free.
     
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  5. Philpots

    Philpots DI Senior Member Restricted Account

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    Agreed but you miss the meaning of my post. I mean when they open the boarders for thousands of visitors, millions per year, I am sure hotels will not not be available for that number and we wait and see if the Philippines can afford for over 100 million injections and just give them away for free and accept the certifications given to the various vaccines which visitors will be relying on. I for one do not believe the Chinese one will be as good as the rest and the Chinese make up a huge proportion of the visitor numbers to this country. We wait and we shall see. Your belief in the numbers presently being catered for is.I believe, ill founded.
     
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  6. eskirvin

    eskirvin DI Forum Adept Blood Donor Veteran Navy

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    I recently stayed in just such a hotel. At the Manila Hilton, you have to have a reservation as there are no walk-ins. My wife and I stayed there for a few nights as we attempted to get PCRs for onward travel. We went to St. Luke's in Manila, to the emergency room, to find a huge crowd, probably numbering a couple hundred or more, getting evaluated for various sniffles. We waited for our PCR tests right next to people at the emergency room complaining of COVID symptoms and awaiting assessment. After getting tested, we moved through the press of people to a car that was waiting for us. I felt like a celebrity.

    During our stay, we ate at public restaraunts that were open on occassion, visited an overcrowded 7-11 for supplies, got coffee from a Starbucks, and ate a buffet style breakfast, with spacing controlled by floor stickers to ensure social distance was observed. Please explain to me how we were not "exposed to Manila residents" as you say.
     
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  7. Philpots

    Philpots DI Senior Member Restricted Account

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    Count yourself very lucky. You fail to say just when this was and at what stage the pandemic had reached in Manila other than the reference to the crowds being "evaluated". Did you mean tested? Because if you did, that would imply the pandemic was well into existence because testing is a more recent happening in Manila that the onset of the pandemic which started last Febraury generally.
     
  8. hiddenuser

    hiddenuser Guest Guest User

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    the reality in this country makes control measures pure nonsense. when the third quarter results come in for the phils gnp the whole idea of what is ok/not ok is going to change
     
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  9. eskirvin

    eskirvin DI Forum Adept Blood Donor Veteran Navy

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    It is tough to describe the madness I witnessed, but it was in July as I had a flight on the 15th to the UAE. Sorry, I just figured many read my rather long set of posts on the subject.

    As we arrived, there was a crowd of people, large enough to make walking in through the ambulance access driveway difficult without shouldering people. As it turns out, "most" of these people were waiting for evaluation by a 30 strong force of nurses/doctors that were situated in booths separated by 5 foot partition walls. These were people that feared they had COVID and were there to see if it was true. They were questioned and if their description of events/symptoms held up to scrutiny, they were actually tested. I saw many leave without being tested. So when I said "evaluated", I meant just that.

    In what way was I lucky? I ended up spending a couple thousand dollars to stay in a hotel, get tested, and change flight dates due to last minute changes. Was I lucky that I didn't catch a disease that would have robbed me of my sense of smell for 2 weeks in exchange for all of that wasted time and money? I suppose some view it so.
     
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  10. Philpots

    Philpots DI Senior Member Restricted Account

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    Had no problem until your rather flippant remark at the end about loss of taste and sell. If you catch this it is more than likely you will lose more than that. It could cost you your life.
     
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