GENERAL SANTOS CITY – South Cotabato province has adopted the S-PaSS travel management system to manage the movement of travelers to the area amid the increasing cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Delta variant in parts of the country.
In Executive Order (EO) 37 made public on Friday night, South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. directed the mandatory registration of all travelers to the province with the S-PaSS or Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage system.
He said inbound and transient travelers are now required to secure an electronic or printed copy of the approved travel coordination permit issued by S-PaSS.
The granting of a permit requires registration with the system and uploading of the necessary documents by concerned travelers, he said.
Tamayo said they decided to use S-PaSS as an additional digital technology system to further strengthen the province’s response and containment measures against Covid-19, especially the threat of the Delta variant.
“There is a need to intensify control measures in (our) borders to comprehensively address this current public health concern, and to strongly enforce health condition reporting and contact tracing measures,” he cited in EO No. 37.
The province has been using since June last year its own digital Covid-19 Contact Tracing System to ensure the proper tracking of close contacts of confirmed patients.
Through the quick response or QR-coded identification cards, it logs and tracks the movement of registered residents in establishments, offices, and even in local events and activities, making the tracking and identification of close contacts of Covid-19 patients faster.
The national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases had adopted the use of S-PaSS, which was developed by the Department of Science and Technology, as part of the harmonization of protocols for land, air, and sea travel in the country.
It is being used as a travel management system or online communication and coordination platform for travelers, local government units, and other monitoring agencies, and as a digital local mobility management system, replacing the use of pen-and-paper logbooks for visitors and personnel of public and private companies, schools, and other institutions or organizations.
Tamayo ordered the province’s 10 towns and lone city to properly inform their barangays regarding the rollout of the S-PaSS requirement.
He said individuals misrepresenting themselves and entities that will not comply with the order would face appropriate administrative and criminal sanctions. (PNA)
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