What You Need To Know About Subic Bay’s Status and Travel Guidelines

The battle against COVID-19 is still ongoing. While cases in some areas in the country are doubling at a fast and alarming rate, some places managed to keep their cases under control. One of these is Subic Bay Freeport Zone. While there are zero active COVID-19 cases in Subic at the beginning of the year, Subic Bay Freeport Zone did not let its guard down and continued to implement strict safety guidelines and protocols to maintain a safe environment. If you’re curious about how the area is doing so far and what the travel requirement in Subic is, read below.

To ensure that COVID-19 cases in Subic do not spike, the SBMA implements various measures to curb the transmission of the virus. In compliance with the Inter-Agency Task Force Resolution No. 88, SBMA released updated guidelines for tourists visiting Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

1. Persons of any age except those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity, other health risks and pregnant women, may be allowed entry into the Freeport as tourists for any of the following purposes: obtaining essential goods and services, indoor and outdoor non-contact sports and other forms of exercise, and allowed leisure activities.

2. Kids below 6 years old are not allowed to enter public enclosed spaces except for their accommodation establishment.

3. Face masks and full coverage face shields must be worn at all times, in all public places.

4. Physical distance of 2 meters must be observed at all times, in all places.

5. Vehicles will be inspected upon entry and at random when inside the Freeport.

6. Guest information will be collected for contact tracing upon request of the facility visited.

7. Health checks will be conducted to detect symptoms of COVID-19 at the entries/gates of SBFZ and tourist health establishment/facility. Persons whose temperature exceeds 37.5 (despite repeated scan) shall be:

a. Denied entry if at the fate/border;

b. Endorsed to the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department by the establishment.

8. Strictly observe health and safety protocols implemented by the SBMA, as adopted from the IATF and DOT guidelines.

For 4 days & 3 nights stay or less:

• Tourists from GCQ areas - health certificate issued by a public or private hospital or LGU Health Office within 3 days prior to arrival & proposed itinerary

• Tourists from MGCQ areas - proposed itinerary

For more than 4 days & 3 nights stay:

• Tourists from GCQ areas - pre-booked quarantine and leisure hotel rooms, health certificate issued by a public or private hospital or LGU Health Office within 3 days prior to arrival, RT-PCR test at the SBMA-PRC swabbing facility and isolation/quarantine in pre-booked facility until result is released, and proposed itinerary

• Tourists from MGCQ areas - pre-booked quarantine and leisure hotel rooms, RT-PCR test at the SBMA-PRC swabbing facility and isolation/quarantine in pre-booked facility until result is released, and proposed itinerary

If a guest tests positive, below are the steps that must be followed:

For asymptomatic guests:

1. Complete 14 days of quarantine; or

2. Return to residence outside SBFZ by ambulance from SBMA-accredited service providers:

a. Ridon St. Jude Medical Center

b. UniHealthBaypointe Hospital and Medical Center

For symptomatic guests :

1. Transfer to hospital of choice by ambulance from SBMA-accredited service providers:

a. Ridon St. Jude Medical Center

b. UniHealthBaypointe Hospital and Medical Center

SBMA Chairman and President WIlma T. Eisma continued to appeal to everyone to keep doing their parts and observe safety protocols to help fight against COVID-19. She also added that beating COVID-19 can only be done successfully if it is done together and in full support of each other.