BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Travelers can now heave a sigh of relief. Bus trips from Negros Occidental to Negros Oriental and Cebu have resumed after over a year of suspension due to coronavirus pandemic-induced curbs. The former gave the green light to Vallacar Transit Incorporated (VTI), operator of Ceres buses.
Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, provincial administrator, said the trips resumed over the weekend with three approved routes: Bacolod-Dumaguete (via Mabinay), Bacolod-Cebu City (via Mabinay), Bacolod-Cebu City (via Don Salvador Benedicto).
Travelers bound for Negros Occidental are required to register via the S-PaSS system and present their verifiable coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination cards or certificates, while unvaccinated and partially vaccinated ones are required to secure negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.
Diaz warned that those presenting fake documents would be subjected to a 14-day quarantine. They must also undergo RT-PCR test at their own expense on the fifth day from their arrival.
They could also face criminal charges, said Diaz.
All trips are limited via VTI’s Bacolod South Terminal, and the buses are allowed to carry 70 percent of the total seating capacity.
A passenger manifest will also be required for contact tracing.
The S-PaSS scanning and verification of incoming passengers will be done at all borders and ports of entry./PN
