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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 23) – Tourists from areas under general community quarantine will be allowed to enter the island of Boracay starting Oct. 1, but will be required to follow health protocols, authorities said Wednesday.
“This development came about as a result of a special meeting called by the directors of the Boracay Interagency Task Force headed by its president, the Secretary of the Environment, Roy Cimatu, and the co-vice-presidents, the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Eduardo Año, and the Secretary of Tourism, Bernadette Romulo. Puyat, with the governor of Aklan province, Florencio Miraflores, on September 22, “said the Department of Tourism in a statement.
However, the Malaysian local government is still awaiting formal approval from the country’s coronavirus task force of its recommendation to open the doors to the island of Western Visayas to more visitors, acting mayor Frolibar Bautista told CNN Philippines in a interview.
Visitors must test negative for a PCR, or polymerase chain reaction test, 48 to 72 hours before their trip to the famous tourist destination, the DOT said.
The undersecretary of Tourism, Benito Bengzon, said that visitors must have previously agreed reservations.
“Once on the island, they must follow the health and safety guidelines developed by the Department of Tourism,” Bengzon stressed in a briefing.
[Translation: Once they set foot on the island, they must follow the health and safety guidelines developed by the Department of Tourism.]Well prepared
In the same briefing, the Secretary of the Interior, Eduardo Año, said that the island of Boracay is “well prepared” to accept more tourists, noting that security protocols have already been implemented.
Year said there is an isolation facility on the island and those suspected or confirmed to have the infectious disease will have to leave the site and be taken to the city of Kalibo in Aklan province. A COVID-19 laboratory is also in operation at the Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital in Kalibo.
Currently, only tourists from Western Visayas, made up of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental provinces, can visit the tourist attraction.
Jun Tariman of CNN Philippines contributed to this report.
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