“New Normal in the City of Pines”
Baguio is a forever mood for everyone. It is known as Summer Capital of the Philippines. During the summer it is the favorite visit of the people. This is also of course one of my favorites. I lived here for almost 5 years and until now Baguio is still different to me.
Recently, the gates of the City of Pines, or Baguio, opened to tourists. Many are happy with this news because Baguio is really one of the favorite and foreign attractions of the people, its cold climate, sights like the famous Burnham Park, mines view, Camp john hay and many more they enjoy. This opening is only for tourists from the provinces of La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte.
The former vigor of Session Road can be seen almost the same, restaurants are open, there are also many sellers around the only difference is that people wear face masks, face shields and have social distancing. With this opening, the local government continues and their contact tracing and rapid test conducted in the surrounding areas is even more aggressive. Even though some sectors have opened up, we must not forget that we are still in a pandemic crisis and we just have to take care of each other. Here are the guidelines to follow and do to re-enter Baguio. The following is provided for the safety of visitors and locals: Tourists will be asked to pre-register through Baguio VIS.I.T.A. (online registration system) Tourists will need to pre-book accommodation preferably through accredited tour operators, and declare the entire itinerary Upon entry, tourists will undergo mandatory triage and PCR examination at their expense Tourists will stay at the hotel until the results come out (more than 9 hours), and before touring the city Tourist movements should be monitored by the tour operator or hotel management On September 22, 2020 there was also a mini-travel fair, themed "ridge and reef". This is a 3-day tour that also aims to formally introduce Baguio Visitors Information and Travel Assistance (VISITA). The city tourism official stressed that the opening of the bubble touris industry will strictly follow the tour package scheme and established policies and regulations will be flexible which can change at any time during the crisis to adapt to the interests of the majority of citizens. There are also secure point-stop-overs at various local governments to ensure that visitors traveling inside the bubble can attend call-of-nature or other essential needs while going to their liking destination in Baguio- Ilocos tourism corridor. So far the reaction of the people to this policy has been mixed. Due to the extra cost that can be used for some things, such as booking a hotel where you can only go home one day when visiting Baguio. You can stay with your relatives. Many also say that tour guides are not necessary, Baguio is not that big for a tour guide. Currently, the Cordillera Region has 1,270 confirmed cases, 894 recovered patients and 16 deaths.
However, as a citizen of the Philippines, everyone should be responsible for going out, especially if it is a leisure travel. Baguio is not Covid-free so be very careful if you want to travel to the Summer Capital of Philippines to cool off, and taste strawberries. And always ask the right person what the requirements are because today's proposals are changing so fast that it also confuses everyone.
