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Manila Bulletin

Philippines

No swab test needed for Panay Is. residents wanting to enter Boracay

Philippines

No swab test needed for Panay Is. residents wanting to enter Boracay

By Tara Yap

ILOILO CITY — The world-famous Boracay Island is starting to do away with the COVID-19 swab tests by welcoming fully vaccinated tourists from other places of Panay Island.

This was after Governor Florencio Miraflores of Aklan province issued an advisory Tuesday, October 26.

The tourists are coming from neighboring Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo provinces as well as the regional capital of Iloilo City.

A couple wearing face masks walks along the white sand beach of world-famous Boracay Island when it reopened to domestic tourists last October 2020. (Tara Yap/File/Manila Bulletin)

In the advisory, Miraflores said fully vaccinated tourists coming from within Panay Island must secure a vaccination certificate from the Department of Health (DOH).

But in case of unavailability of the vaccination certificate, tourists will be required to present the usual test results they are not infected with COVID-19.

Late last week, the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Miraflores announced that the requirement of COVID-19 swab tests is being targeted to be lifted by November when the workers and local residents of the resort island will be fully vaccinated.

The October 26 announcement is also seen to boost the number of visitors to the country’s most famous beach destination as there is a long weekend for the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

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