MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is proposing the removal of age restriction for those who will travel to Boracay Island, which will open its doors to tourists from general community quarantine (GCQ) areas starting on Oct. 1.
DOT secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said they are proposing to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases for tourists aged above 60 years old and those below 20 years old to be allowed to visit the world-famous island.
“We are proposing no age restrictions because Filipinos travel as a family,” Romulo-Puyat said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Thursday.
According to Romulo-Puyat, those above 60 and below 20 will be allowed in Boracay “as long as they are negative in the RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test and of course [have] no symptoms [of COVID-19]. I am confident that this (proposal) will be approved.”
Based on DOT’s proposal to IATF-EID, tourists from modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) and GCQ areas can visit Boracay but only if they are negative in RT-PCR test taken two to three days prior to travel time.
“We in the DOT, we are very careful, we are very cautious, we have to make sure that health and safety protocols are in place,” Romulo-Puyat said.
The gradual reopening of Boracay started in June with Aklan residents allowed to visit the island. It was eventually opened for residents of the entire Western Visayas a month later./PN
