DOT Bares Low-Cost UP-PGH COVID Tests for Boracay-Bound Tourists
The Department of Tourism has partnered with the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) to partly subsidize the cost of COVID-19 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests (RT-PCR) for domestic tourists bound for Boracay.
The subsidy will come from the Tourism Promotion Board (TPB). The UP-PGH’s cost per kit is P1,800, which is lower than that charged by most testing laboratories.
The department said the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) agreed on the following terms:
1) The Department of Tourism (DOT) will take the lead in the low-cost or free RT-PCR tests for Boracay-bound non-Aklanon tourists in partnership with the UP-PGH;
2) DOT will facilitate the training of personnel and representatives of the provincial government of Aklan and municipal government of Malay on case investigation, contact-tracing, referral, and other COVID-19 related operations under the supervision of Baguio City Mayor and Contact-Tracing Czar Benjamin B. Magalong;
3) DOT will secure at least 1,500 RT-PCR test kits for the implementation of expanded testing in Boracay Island; and
4) Subject to the BIATF’s evaluation of the island’s contact-tracing capability and implementation of health and safety protocols, LGU Aklan may transition to the use of Rapid Antigen Tests (Ag-RDTs) for the entry of non-Aklanon tourists into Boracay.
“We cannot stress fully enough the importance of showing our seriousness in carrying out our protocols and guidelines... It is our wish to make more affordable RT-PCR tests to encourage more visits,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said.
“Let's continue to push for 100 percent compliance with health guidelines and environmental rules and fulfill our mandate to fully restore Boracay," she added.
The subsidy will come from the Tourism Promotion Board (TPB). The UP-PGH’s cost per kit is P1,800, which is lower than that charged by most testing laboratories.
The department said the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) agreed on the following terms:
1) The Department of Tourism (DOT) will take the lead in the low-cost or free RT-PCR tests for Boracay-bound non-Aklanon tourists in partnership with the UP-PGH;
2) DOT will facilitate the training of personnel and representatives of the provincial government of Aklan and municipal government of Malay on case investigation, contact-tracing, referral, and other COVID-19 related operations under the supervision of Baguio City Mayor and Contact-Tracing Czar Benjamin B. Magalong;
3) DOT will secure at least 1,500 RT-PCR test kits for the implementation of expanded testing in Boracay Island; and
4) Subject to the BIATF’s evaluation of the island’s contact-tracing capability and implementation of health and safety protocols, LGU Aklan may transition to the use of Rapid Antigen Tests (Ag-RDTs) for the entry of non-Aklanon tourists into Boracay.
“We cannot stress fully enough the importance of showing our seriousness in carrying out our protocols and guidelines... It is our wish to make more affordable RT-PCR tests to encourage more visits,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said.
“Let's continue to push for 100 percent compliance with health guidelines and environmental rules and fulfill our mandate to fully restore Boracay," she added.
