Palawan to reopen Coron only if COVID-free
Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez will reopen the municipality of Coron to tourists only if and when the area will finally be cleared of the coronavirus.
Coron is one of the island’s most in demand tourism destinations where the popular Kayangan Lake and Barracuda Lake can be found. The island is also considered as one of the best wreck diving sites in Southeast Asia
“Yung Coron kapag zero COVID na at maiiwan nalang yung ilang asymptomatic na naka-quarantine na ay buksan na rin natin yung Coron,” Alvarez said during Friday’s Laging Handa public briefing.
As of Oct. 8, Coron town has 14 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 16 suspect cases, but all have already been quarantined in an isolation facility.
At present, El Nido town is the only area that is accepting Palawan-based tourists, both foreign and local, while El Nido Resorts have started taking in guests from areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) classification since July.
But Alvarez is hoping that COVID-19 cases in Puerto Princesa, another top tourist destination in Palawan, will finally be contained before Christmas as a surge in coronavirus cases has been recorded recently.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the local government executives of Palawan are still reluctant to reopen its doors to more local tourists unlike other prime destinations like Boracay Island and Baguio City.
Despite having lesser COVID-19 cases, Alvarez said they are just taking the reopening of domestic tourism slowly.
SIGN UP TO DAILY NEWSLETTER
Read More: Palawan to reopen Coron only if COVID-free