MORE than a hundred Russian tourists are stranded in Boracay due to the cancellation of flights amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, said Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores.
In a press conference Monday, March 23, 2020, at the Provincial Capitol, Miraflores said the Russian embassy has been coordinating with his office for possible repatriation of the tourists.
The Russian tourists have been stranded as they failed to secure outbound flights going to Russia due to the global Covid-19 scare.
"The Russian embassy wanted to send a Russian airline to fetch the stranded tourists. I asked them to coordinate at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) on flight arrangements," said Miraflores.
The Russian tourists came to Boracay in different dates before the Philippine Government declared an enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, which was followed by community quarantine declarations by several local government units in the country.
The community quarantine declaration was made to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus that has so far sickened a total of 380 people in the Philippines. Of the 380, 25 patients had died.
Last week, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported 580 foreign tourists stranded in Boracay.
The DOT has initiated a series of "mercy flights" to fetch the stranded tourists via the Caticlan Airport to Clark International Airport in Pampanga. (SunStar Philippines)