ILOILO City – The local government of Malay, Aklan has terminated all border checkpoints that were put in place as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Malay is home to the world-famous Boracay Island.
Acting mayor Frolibar Bautista lifted the border checks effective midnight of Feb. 16.
For the past 14 days, all those bound for Boracay Island from China and its special administrative regions Macau and Hong Kong were denied entry to Malay.
The COVID-19 virus originated in China, which imposed a lockdown in Wuhan City and Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus outbreak.
In scrapping the border checks, Bautista said Feb. 15 was the 15th day since China imposed a lockdown (no one can get in or out of Wuhan City and Hubei province). That day was also the end of the 14-day quarantine period ordered by the Department of Health on people with a travel history to China and its special administrative regions.
According to the mayor, the border checks were effective in keeping Malay free from the virus. He thanked the personnel at the border checks who worked 24/7.
On Feb. 11, border patrols deployed in the boundaries of Malay stopped some 45 Chinese nationals on board a bus attempting to visit Boracay Island.
The tourists presented photocopies of their passports, which did not reflect their previous destinations, Bautista said.
But despite the termination of the border checkpoints, Bautista said monitoring of people entering Malay and particularly Boracay would continue (at the Caticlan Jetty Port and Passenger Terminal).
Bautista thanked tourists and locals for cooperating with the local government.
“We have not faced any problem in implementing the checkpoints,” he said. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN
