ILOILO CITY – Workers returning to world-famous Boracay Island do not have to undergo rapid tests for COVID-19.
This after the local government of Malay town, Aklan province has cancelled the requirement for antigen tests for workers returning to the country’s most famous beach destination.
Boracay is preparing to reopen its doors to domestic tourists starting September 8 when leisure travel resumes as Aklan slides down to general community quarantine (GCQ) status.
The decision of the local government changed when Mayor Frolibar Bautista has acknowledged that many workers have been vaccinated—whether fully vaccinated or just their first dose.
To recall, the Malay local government required rapid tests for returning workers when COVID-19 cases spiked significantly for Aklan province late in July.
At that time, Bautista said that majority of new cases in Boracay were traced to workers who have visited other towns of Aklan province during their days off.
The rapid tests were designed to stop the spread of new COVID-19 cases in Boracay. But it didn’t really push through when the Aklan province was placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status last August and leisure travel was banned.
Meanwhile, almost 80 percent of tourist workers in Boracay have already received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines.