BORACAY – Restrictions were enforced immediately at a high-end hotel here after 15 of its employees tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
They were part of the 436 hotels/resorts workers here who underwent routing swabbing between Jan. 19 and 22.
On Jan. 21, the first batch of test results came out. Eight were COVID-19-positive but asymptomatic.
The following day, Jan. 22, another batch of test results were released. Seven more tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and some of these were symptomatic, said Dr. Cornelio Cuachon Jr., Aklan’s Provincial Health Office (PHO) chief.
No hotel guests were identified as close contacts. However, high-risk hotel employees were told to self-isolate.
“If they show symptoms, they would be asked to get tested,” said Cuachon.
The Aklan Provincial Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit (PESU) has started checking the places visited by these COVID-19 patients.
It also recommended to the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force to temporarily suspend the hotel’s operation for disinfection.
The hotel was advised to closely coordinate with the Malay, Aklan Municipal Health Office and PHO-Aklan.
The cases were natives of Capiz, Iloilo and Aklan but were tagged as cases of the municipality of Malay which has jurisdiction over Boracay Island.
To date, Malay has 25 confirmed COVID-19 cases (18 active and one fatality).
The active cases were in quarantine facilities.
Boracay recorded its first COVID-19 case in Dec. 14, 2020 – an employee of a high-end hotel at Station 1./PN
