THE Aklan Provincial Health Office (PHO) urged tourists to wear a face shield and face mask while going around the public places, including the beach, in Boracay Island.
Dr. Cornelio Cuachon Jr. of the PHO said this is in line with the mandate of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases on the strict wearing of face shields and face masks especially during this Christmas season.
"The only time that face shields and face masks will be removed is either you go on swimming or eating," Cuachon said.
The Malay local government, which has jurisdiction over Boracay, has been enforcing social distancing for tourists and locals while swimming at the beach.
Before the tourist could swim, they are also required to fill out a form for contact tracing purposes.
Based on reports of the tourism office, tourists who visited Boracay from December 1 to 12 reached 3,703. Some 2,917 of them came from the National Capital Region, while the rest came from different provinces.
"Right now, Boracay has zero Covid case but there is a possibility that despite the negative RT-PCR tests being required for tourists when they visit Boracay, we could not still discount the possibility of a tourist with asymptomatic cases which is why we must continue to remain vigilant," Cuachon said. (SunStar Philippines)