Boracay task force reprimands travelers for violating protocols

FILE: Boracay unveils its new icon as it reopened to the public on Friday (Oct. 26, 2018). (PNA photo by Jay Rome Pablo)

MANILA – The Boracay Inter-agency Task Force (BIATF) on Wednesday denounced the entry of a group of travelers to Boracay last week prior to the island’s official reopening for breaching health protocols.

One of the said guests, a Bureau of Fire Protection employee, had in fact tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The task force said the Department of Tourism is also revoking the accreditation of the resort that housed the group from June 12 to 14.

In a televised CNN Philippines interview, Tourism chief Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the guests checked in on June 12 and “pretended” to be part of the BIATF delegation when it convened a meeting on the island from June 11-12.

Although accredited by the DOT, the concerned hotel at that time had no Certificate of Authority to Operate, which is issued by the agency after ensuring it has certain health and safety protocols in place.

“That’s already a violation and (the guest) found out that she was Covid-positive…

We already revoked the accreditation of the hotel,” she said.

The official noted that contact tracing had been conducted immediately and that the hotel staff who came in contact with the guest have been quarantined.

Boracay was re-opened to tourists from Western Visayas on June 16 upon the recommendation of the Aklan government and the approval of the BIATF.

Romulo-Puyat said the reopening for select travelers serves as a dry run for Boracay once it accepts more tourists from other regions.

“Maybe after two weeks, we will ask them again if they are open to opening to other areas under modified enhanced community quarantine,” she said.

Meanwhile, she assured that DOT will strictly implement rules and regulations under its mandate to ensure safety for tourism industry players and tourists under the “new normal” brought by the pandemic.