Rizal Park and three sites in Intramuros namely Fort Santiago, Baluarte de San Diego and Plaza San Luis are now open to accept visitors, but under limited capacities and shortened operating hours.
Only 500 visitors are allowed to visit Rizal Park, which is open from 5 am to 9 am. It is also advised that park visitors use the StaySafe app for faster entry into the park premises, although manual contact tracing forms are available at park entrances.
Fort Santiago is open from 9 am to 7:30 pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9 am to 8:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays with a maximum capacity of 150 visitors at any given time.
Baluarte de San Diego is open from 8 am to 5 pm daily and allows only a maximum of 80 people inside its premises at a time. Entrance fees for both sides remain at 75 pesos for regular visitors, and 50 pesos for discounted eligible visitors such as seniors, students and PWDs. On the other hand, Plaza San Luis is free for those who want to visit but only from 8 am to 9 pm daily.
As per IATF guidelines, only visitors aged 18 to below 65 are allowed to enter Rizal Park and Intramuros sites.
The Department of Tourism (DOT), through the Intramuros Administration, has also set up an express lane for fully-vaccinated individuals who wish to visit Fort Santiago and Baluarte de San Diego.
By using the express lane, fully-vaccinated visitors are allowed to accomplish the mandatory contact tracing form when inside the sites and will only need to present it to security personnel before exit.
All visitors, whether vaccinated or not, are required to undergo mandatory temperature checks at the sites’ entrance and are required at all times to adhere to the minimum health standards such as wearing of masks and face shields, proper physical distancing, and frequent washing or disinfection of hands.
As an added assurance to visitors, a big number of tourism workers in Metro Manila have been vaccinated. As of September 14, 99 percent of the workers in the Intramuros Administration—including outsourced security and janitorial workers—have been fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, over 96 percent of all personnel stationed at Rizal Park have already received their complete COVID-19 vaccination, according to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat shared.
“Time and again, we are reminding everyone to strictly follow the health and safety protocols when visiting Rizal Park, Intramuros, and other tourist sites and destinations that have reopened, and get vaccinated when the opportunity comes. By doing so, not only can you protect yourself, but you are also keeping the workers who rely on tourism safe from the virus, too,” the tourism chief said.
A popular tourism site, Fort Santiago features well-preserved legacies from the Spanish colonial period including memorabilia of José Rizal, its most famous prisoner, at the Rizal Shrine and a replica of his ancestral house in Laguna province.
Also a famous backdrop for outdoor weddings or prenuptial photography, Baluarte de San Diego was constructed as part of the fortifications of the Walled City and primarily designed to repel invasions.
