The province of Antique has lifted the Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage Travel Management System (S-PaSS) requirement for fully vaccinated tourists and returning residents.

Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao lifted the S-PaSS requirement to further open the economy of the province and also in response to the request of the Antique Association of Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Owners (AAHRRO) through its vice president for external affairs Neil Huele during the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force for Covid-19 (IATF Covid-19) meeting on Tuesday.

“Let there be no more S-PaSS requirement if it is a challenge,” Cadiao said during the meeting.

The lifting of S-PaSS will also apply to fully vaccinated Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs).

She said she would like to invite more tourists to visit her home province and for returning residents to be able to come home.

The governor is expected to issue a new Executive Order (EO) for the lifting of the requirement on Wednesday.

Huele, during the meeting, said the S-Pass had been a barrier for tourists who would like to visit Antique.

Fully-jabbed tourists are now only needed to present their vaccination card and their proof of booking in an establishment.

Unvaccinated tourists, however, will still be required to secure their S-PaSS.

For the unvaccinated returning residents, aside from their S-PaSS, they will have to secure their Notice of Coordination from their Municipal Government, and their negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results.

Children of returning residents below five years old will have to undergo the antigen test instead of the negative RT-PCR while those who are five years old need to have a vaccination card or negative RT-PCR test. (PNA)