THE Provincial Health Office of Aklan is on alert against the possible entry of the Omnicron Covid-19 variant in the province, especially the island of Boracay.

Dr. Cornelio Cuachon of the Provincial Health Office said they wanted to ensure that no tourist infected with the coronavirus and its variants would be able to enter Boracay.

Among those vigilant measures include heightened monitoring of requirements for tourists such as the vaccination cards, quick response (QR) codes, confirmed hotel bookings and negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for those tourists who are not yet fully vaccinated.

A report said at least three tourists who have travel history in Africa were able to visit Negros Occidental recently.

"We are monitoring these developments. We are worried about this, but we are vigilant," Cuachon said.

Because of the Omicron scare, the province's preparation to received international tourists in Boracay has also been disrupted.

The Department of Tourism earlier announced that the Philippines is open for international tourists beginning December 1. This pronouncement, however, was withdrawn by the agency. (SunStar Philippines)