This Week in Boracay and Iloilo (July 11 to 17, 2021)

The Executive Order (EO) No. 55 series of 2021 issued by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas eased the city’s policies under the MECQ. The quarantine protocols in the EO have deviated after the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) disapproved of the mayor’s appeal to put the city under GCQ [1].

The eased rules under the new EO include shortened curfew hours: 11:00 PM to 4:00 AM; liquor ban lifted; indoor dining allowed at 10 percent capacity while outdoor dining allowed at 50 percent capacity. Outdoor sports venues, indoor courts, salons, medical aesthetic clinics, dermatological clinics, wellness centers, massage therapy establishments, tanning services, body piercings, and tattooing services are also allowed under the new EO.

Though COVID-19 cases continue to surge and the province under GCQ, domestic tourists visit Boracay Island. In June, the Malay Tourism Office recorded a total of 23,599 tourists that visited the island. Of which, 15,075 tourists from the NCR, 6,150 from Calabarzon, and 1,736 from Central Luzon were registered in their data. Furthermore, the Malay Philippine National Police will continue implementing health protocols to protect tourists, residents, and workers from the virus [2].

The National Vaccine Operations Center has allotted 25,740 doses of the United States-manufactured Pfizer vaccine to Western Visayas. In the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) data in Region 6, 5,850 doses were distributed in Iloilo City, while Iloilo province received a similar allocation of doses. Furthermore, spokesperson of OCD-6 Cindy Ferrer said that Aklan, Antique, and Guimaras are getting Pfizer vaccines soon [3].

Visit Yoorekka Consumer Magazine for more travel and COVID-19 updates and guidelines in Boracay and Iloilo!