CAAP says partially vaccinated passengers not allowed for air travel

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Tuesday reiterated that airlines will only accept fully vaccinated passengers — those who have received the full dosage of COVID-19 vaccines at least two weeks prior to travel — and those exempted from the restrictions.

According to CAAP Chief of Staff Atty. Danjun Lucas, partially vaccinated individuals will not be accepted by airlines except in cases where they fit into the exemptions earlier set by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

“In general po, talagang sa Department Order na sinusunod po ng ating mga paliparan, talagang ‘yung mga fully vaccinated lang po ang ating tinatanggap,” he said during the Laging Handa public briefing.

“Marami naman po du'n sa mga partially vaccinated, pumapasok sa exemption,” he added.

(In general, based on the Department Order being followed by airports, only those fully vaccinated are being allowed. Many of those partially vaccinated however qualify for exemptions.)

Under the DOTr's "no vaccination, no ride" policy, public transportation access in Metro Manila under Alert Level 3 or higher is limited only to fully vaccinated individuals, which can be proven by either physical or digital copies of vaccine cards issued by accredited agencies.

Local carriers started the full implementation of the policy on Monday, January 17.

Exempted from the policy, however, are persons with medical conditions that prevent their full COVID-19 vaccination as shown by a duly-signed medical certificate, and those who will buy or avail of essential goods and services.

“Hindi po kasama doon talaga kahit magpakita po sila ng negative RT-PCR, sa Department Order, hindi po nasasaad doon. Ang exemption lang po sa ngayon essential travel,” said Lucas.

(Unvaccinated individuals who present a negative RT-PCR test result are not included in the exemptions, as this is not stated in the Department Order. Exemptions currently only cover essential travel.)

“Papayagan lamang po kapag makapagpakita sila kahit sila ay partially vaccinated na ang kanila pong travel ay maikokonsidera na essential travel at kung sila po ay returning resident papunta ng NCR pabalik sa kanilang mga residence sa Metro Manila,” he added.

(Partially vaccinated individuals will only be allowed if they are able to justify that their trips are considered essential travel and if they are Metro Manila residents returning to their residence in Metro Manila.)

The CAAP has implemented a two-pronged approach to the policy, with security personnel screening travelers before entering airports, and ticketing staff conducting another validation before passengers receive their boarding passes.

Lucas claimed the policy has been fairly received by the public following the soft implementation conducted on Saturday and Sunday, but a number of passengers were still turned back on Tuesday.

Moving forward, Lucas said the policy may be reviewed should the alert level status of Metro Manila change, and should there be significant changes in the country’s vaccination status. Alert Level 3 is in effect in Metro Manila until the end of January.

Data from the DOTr indicate that some 1,749 commuters attempted to ride Metro Manila trains without proof of vaccination on Monday, January 17, 2022. —KG, GMA News