Hotel bookings in Boracay cancelled due to nCoV

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – The ban on the entry of tourists from mainland China and its administrative regions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) has resulted in ”massive cancellations” of hotel bookings in Boracay.

Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores said the ban has had a big impact on the tourism industry in the province.

“We have barely recovered from the impact of Typhoon Ursula and now there’s massive cancellation by foreign and local tourists,” Miraflores said.

He assured local tourists that Boracay is safe even as he denied reports of a confirmed case of nCOV on the island.

“In fact, the Department of Health-Center for Health Development regional office said there’s no nCoV case in the entire Western Visayas,” he said.

Miraflores said it’s business as usual on the island amid the nCoV scare. He said resorts that cater mainly to clients who arrive on chartered flights from China were affected.

He said aside from local tourists, South Korean citizens continue to arrive.

In a post on Facebook yesterday, the Malay municipal government said it is “temporarily suspending the entry of all persons with travel history from China, Macau and Hong Kong in the past few days.”

Acting Mayor Frolibar Bautista issued an executive order imposing the ban as well as the implementation of other precautionary measures to prevent the spread of nCoV.

“Border patrols are deployed at the boundaries of Malay to check passengers and tourists’ travel history,” the post read.

No symptoms

Madel Joy Tayco, deputy information manager of the Boracay task force for nCoV, said no one among the 300 Chinese tourists being monitored for the flu virus showed any symptom.

Tayco said the remaining Chinese tourists are expected to leave the island this week.

In Negros, four persons under investigation (PUIs) for nCoV were released from the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Hospital, according to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.

Six other PUIs remain confined in the hospital.

PMA homecoming cancelled

Meanwhile, the alumni homecoming of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) was cancelled in line with the decision of the Baguio City government to postpone major crowd-drawing events due to nCoV.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong attended the PMA Alumni Association board meeting on Wednesday during which he explained why the event should be cancelled.

The alumni homecoming was originally set from Feb. 14 and 16. The new schedule has yet to be determined.

Single port of entry

Dinagat Islands Gov. Kaka Bag-ao issued an executive order establishing and strengthening preparedness and preventive measures to address the threat of nCoV.

Under the EO, only one port of entry will be opened to ensure proper screening of visitors.

Vessels from China and other nCoV-hit countries are prohibited from docking in the waters off the province.

In Pangasinan, crewmembers of foreign vessels transporting coal to the Sual power plant  are not allowed to leave their ship, lest they be placed on quarantine.

A two-week medical mission to be conducted by a group of Australian citizens in San Carlos City was cancelled as a precautionary measure against nCoV.

To address the shortage of face masks, Medtex Corp., a company at the Freeport Area of Bataan, committed to sell two million face masks every month. – With Artemio Dumlao, Eva Visperas, Gilbert Bayoran, Ric Sapnu, Romina Cabrera