ILOILO City – The municipality of Malay in Aklan, which covers the world-famous Boracay Island, will deny entry to tourists starting Thursday as it places the town under general community quarantine to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista signed an executive order, which places the town on general community quarantine, regulating the entry of goods and supplies in the municipality and imposes a curfew.
Tourists, whether local or foreign, shall be denied entry to the town including Boracay Island.
The restriction of the entry of people will exempt Malaynons, persons involved in the delivery of goods and commodities, medical doctors working in Malay, national government officials and employees, and returning officials or employees of the town and its barangays.
Bautista said he will authorize the entry of persons, which does not fall under the exemptions if it relates to health, safety, security, and commerce.
The town quarantine will be effective starting 10 p.m. on Thursday and will remain effective until it is lifted by the town’s acting mayor Frolibar Bautista, according to a local executive order.
During the general community quarantine, movement will be limited to accessing basic necessities and work. Uniformed personnel and quarantine officers will also man borders.
The local government is also imposing a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Boat trips to and from Boracay will be limited between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. only. The measures were adopted even as Boracay has yet to record its first case of COVID-19.
The new directives are seen as an added blow to Boracay’s tourism industry which has seen a sharp decline since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Philippines due to virus fears.
Tourist arrivals in February for the island dropped by 40 percent to 103, 834 from the 172,695 recorded in the same month in 2019, data from the Malay Municipal Tourism Office showed. (PNA/ABS-CBN News)
