PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Batanes is considering reopening its doors to tourists by December as the country pushes further its bid to revive the tourism sector.
In a Laging Handa briefing on Saturday, Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco said the local government and its pandemic task force had yet to come up with guidelines in accepting tourists from areas with high Covid-19 cases such as Metro Manila.
“Nag-usap po kami last week, two weeks ago ng Task Force Batanes po at pinag-usapan ho namin kung magbubukas na po kami sa turista. Ang sinabi po nila ay okay lang pero importante ho kailangang sundin nila iyong ating protocol,” she said.
Among the protocols proposed for tourists is a mandatory 14-day quarantine after arrival in Batanes.
“Pero ang sinasabi ko po doon sa meeting namin ay mag-attempt kami by December, titingnan namin kung ano ang sitwasyon sa Manila at saka mga ibang probinsiya para po halimbawa ay humupa na po ang Covid diyan sa Manila at saka sa ibang probinsiya ay pupuwede kaming unti-unting magbubukas na,” Cayco added.
Some tourist spots, such as Boracay, Baguio and Bohol, have started accepting tourists amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reviving the tourism sector is necessary to help cushion the impact of the recession the Philippine economy entered into last August, according to Malacañang. John Ezekiel J. Hirro