REMOVAL OF RT-PCR TEST REQUIREMENT FOR TOURISTS TO ENTER BORACAY SOUGHT
2 min read
Aklan Governor Joeben Miraflores held a consultation meeting today, October 31, 2020, with Congressman Ted Haresco, Malay Municipal Mayor Frolibar Bautista, Barangay officials and Boracay stakeholders at Henann Regency Resort.
Removal of RT-PCR Test for Boracay tourists sought
The attendees unanimously voted for the removal of the submission of a Negative RT-PCR (Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) Test (taken 72 hours before departure) as a requirement for tourists to enter Boracay. A resolution will be submitted to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for approval.
According to a Facebook post shared by Mr. Gil S. Delos Santos, once approved, tourists who want to enter Boracay only need to submit a health declaration and a confirmed hotel/resort accommodation with the Department of Tourism (DOT) Accreditation and Certificate of Authority to Operate (CAO).
- For the online health declaration, click here.
- Here is the list of Department of Tourism (DOT) with Certificate of Authority to Operate (CAO) in Western Visayas as of October 21, 2020.
Further, the DOT will provide 10 Million pesos to fund the cost of RT-PCR testing of Boracay workers in preparation for the full reopening.
Also, establishments on the island will be required to have a QR system for contact tracing.
Lackluster Boracay Reopening
Boracay reopened last October 1, 2020. In time for the reopening, airlines and hotels brought down their prices by as much as 70%. This is to help boost tourism.
However, aside from the fear of contracting COVID-19, the cost of the RT-PCR Test remains to be a major factor in preventing tourists from visiting the country’s number one island tourist destination. The cost ranges from 1500 to as much as 10,000 pesos.
“We have to live with covid. Let’s just be brave. We will take the risk to open but with strict implementation of safety protocols. Pasensiyahan nalang sa ‘di susunod. May kinasuhan na tayo kung maalala niyo.”
Mayor Frolimar Bautista
We cannot wait to welcome more tourists on the island. We are ready. Tourism is the island’s main source of livelihood. Since lockdown, tourism has been in a slump.
