Boracay Tourists With Fake COVID-19 Results Test Positive

PHOTO BY Shutterstock/demesafrankc

(SPOT.ph) With COVID-19 still very much present in the country, one of the main requirements when traveling from Metro Manila to any part of the Philippines is a negative RT-PCR test result. This prevents those who have the virus from further spreading the disease to other provinces. However, five tourists on Boracay Island in Aklan were found to have falsified their COVID-19 test results; and, to make it worse, three of them turned out to be positive for the virus.

According to a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the group from Metro Manila arrived on the island on January 21 and the five tourists were issued QR codes for entry while their results were being verified. Their documents were later confirmed to be falsified, but they were not in the hotel indicated on their travel application. Police and health personnel later traced them to another accommodation establishment. They have been brought to the Aklan Training Center, a quarantine facility in Kalibo.

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Since December, a total of 26 tourists entering Boracay have submitted falsified test results. Twelve of them were able to get on to the island, while the rest were apprehended either at the airport in Manila or at entry points in Caticlan.

Travel Requirements When Traveling to Boracay:

Boracay Island in Aklan opened their doors to tourists from all over the Philippines—including regions that are still under general community quarantine like Metro Manila—in October 2020. One of the measures implemented upon the reopening is the Test Before Travel regulation, which requires tourists to take an RT-PCR test from 48 to 72 hours prior to traveling to Boracay. They should, of course, be negative for the COVID-19 virus.

Local tourists are also asked to fill out an online health declaration form through Aklan’s website and show their confirmed booking at an accredited hotel or resort upon arrival at the Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan.

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Source: Spot PH