Mactan-Cebu airport to resume operations

CEBU, Philippines —  Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) and GMR MEGAWIDE Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) had announced yesterday that the Mactan-Cebu International Airport is ready to resume operations with safety measures already in place at Terminals 1 and 2.

This is in preparation for the resumption of airline flight services at the airport.

GMCAC Chief Executive Advisor Andrew Acquaah-Harrison said the operating procedures and overall airport environment of MCIA has been modified for the “new normal,” and staff will be re-trained in its implementation, in adherence to the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), the Department of Health and the Department of Transportation.

“As we experience a change to how we influence passenger behavior when using the airport, we will keenly observe how the passengers will react to the new environment and make adjustments as necessary. At the same time, we ask the passengers and staff for their cooperation and understanding as we implement these new measures for their well-being and safety,” said Harrison, in a statement.

Passengers and airport staff are directed to strictly observe these measures while inside MCIA:

1. Strictly adhere to social distancing protocols and follow the visual markers placed in different locations. Always stay in the right lane when walking.

2. Mandatory wearing of facemasks and any preferred additional PPEs within the airport vicinity and inside the terminals.

3. Comply with body temperature checks conducted by the security personnel at all airport entry points.

4. Regularly sanitize hands and disinfect shoes using provided hand sanitizers and footbaths at terminal entry locations.

5. Limit send-off parties at the departure area to one companion only, regardless of the number of passengers traveling together.

6. Provide correct information when filling out health declaration forms.

7. Read COVID-19 health information materials posted in strategic locations of the terminal.

8. Listen to PA announcements for health and safety reminders.

The MCIAA and GMCAC have also announced that the MCIA will be the first airport in the country to be equipped with a dedicated COVID-19 testing laboratory with state-of-the-art facilities that can process about 900 swab samples per day rising to 2,000 per day for the benefit of arriving OFWs, seafarers, and locally stranded individuals. Eventually the process will be extended to those outbound international passengers requiring a COVID-19 test certificate for entry to other countries.

Testing booths are set up in T2 Arrival Reclaim with swab sampling taking a maximum of 5 minutes, after which OFWs and seafarers will be transferred to designated quarantine facilities by DOH and LGU officials. Test results will be available online to DOH after 24-hours.

“This initiative will augment the government’s testing capacity and fast track the processing of arriving OFWs and seafarers and decongest Manila. At the same time, it will help alleviate the plight of OFWs and seafarers who desperately want to return to the Visayas and Mindanao but are stranded in quarantine centers in Luzon while waiting for their COVID-19 test results,” said MCIAA General Manager Steve Dicdican.

Once swab samples are taken, OFWs and seafarers will be billeted in hotels designated as quarantine facilities by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Tourism while waiting for their test results.

“We believe this measure will give an important capacity boost to DOH and at the same time help kick-start our local economy through the jobs that will be necessary to provide support for all these arriving OFWs and seafarers in sectors such as hotels, transportation, and catering in the immediate term, but most importantly pave the way for international arrivals to resume as the confidence to travel to Cebu from the tourists and foreigners starts to build. As part of Cebu’s tourism ecosystem we need to ensure we play our part in helping the tourism sector recover. Many jobs for Cebuanos are highly dependent on the safe but eventual rebound of the tourism sector,” said Harrison.

Currently, the laboratory operator Prime Care is working on getting the certification and accreditation from the DOH and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). GAN (FREEMAN)