This Week in Boracay and Iloilo (May 16 to 22, 2021)

The Iloilo City Government and Iloilo Province are pushing for stricter quarantine and health measures as cases of coronavirus diseases 2019 rise. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas does not want to overwhelm the city’s health facilities—he urges Ilonggos to be extra vigilant. Meanwhile, the mayor implemented health measures for funeral wakes that should not last more than three days while only immediate family members are allowed to visit. He also advised Ilonggos to avoid non-essential travels outside the city. In addition to the strict measures, dining establishments are not allowed to host any indoor live entertainment and must follow the maximum capacity of 50 percent. Meanwhile, the campaign for the city’s vaccination program is ongoing, encouraging residents to get vaccinated against the virus [1].

In Iloilo Province, Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. prepares its district hospital in case of a sudden climb of new infections. He said that health care facilities are ready to expand their bed capacities and supplies, while the province also has a backup reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine.

Due to the ongoing pandemic in the country, Aklan Second District Congressman Teodorico Haresco said that more hotels in Boracay Island might force to shut down operations. Furthermore, business players in the world-famous island have reportedly sold their hotels and shops, while others have rented their property. Therefore, Haresco and Congress are currently assessing the Bayanihan Law III—cash assistance and intensified inoculation of COVID-19 vaccines for tourism workers [2].

Iloilo City and Iloilo Province make COVID-19 testing less invasive for its residents as they have launched saliva-based collection sites in Panay Island. These saliva-based COVID-19 collection centers are in:

• St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo (SPHI)

• Iloilo Doctor’s Hospital (IDH)

• Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Iloilo

• PRC Aklan

• PRC Antique

• PRC Capiz

• PRC Guimaras

The collected samples from these sites are for testing and will deliver to PRC’s molecular laboratory in New Townsite, Barangay Sablogon, Passi City. Meanwhile, PRC also has a pending memorandum of agreement with three more hospitals for collection: Medical City, Medicus, and Holy Mary Women and Children’s Hospital [3].

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates and travel guidelines in Boracay and Iloilo.