THE local government of Malay still has no plan of opening Boracay for tourism amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Madel Joy Tayco of the Municipal Inter-agency Task Force on Covid-19 said the opening of tourism in Boracay has not been discussed yet during their regular meetings.

Malacanang announced Tuesday, April 28, that the province of Aklan, as well as the adjacent provinces of Antique and Capiz will fall under general community quarantine beginning May 1.

Elena Brugger, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry- Boracay, said local entrepreneurs in the resort island may be hit the hardest because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

"Boracay businesses have been knocked down thrice. First is the six months closure in 2018, followed by Typhoon Ursula in December 2019 and now the closure caused by Covid-19. Small businesses are having difficulty to recover at these time," she said.

Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores said he considered it a priority to reopen Boracay to tourists the soonest possible time upon consultation with Malacañang.

"The province is planning to purchase a machine that would conduct rapid testing among the coming tourists to ensure Boracay is Covid-free," Miraflores said. (SunStar Philippines)