Boracay needs 40K vaccine doses for 100 percent COVID-19 immunity

ISLAND ROLLOUT TourismSecretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat (right), testing czar Vince Dizon (second from right) and Aklan officials lead the ceremonial COVID-19 vaccination of tourismworkers on Boracay Island on Wednesday. —PHOTO COURTESY OF 91.1 FM YES THE BEST BORACAY

MANILA, Philippines — Renowned tourism spot Boracay island needs at least 40,000 vaccine doses for all its residents to be able to achieve 100% immunity from COVID-19, the mayor of Malay, Aklan which exercises jurisdiction over the island, said Friday.

According to Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista, Boracay island has around 12,000 workers and 18,000 residents who need to be inoculated to have total immunity against the coronavirus.

“Lahat ng mga workers, almost 12,000 and then yung mga residents natin almost 18,000 so we need 40,000 doses na bakuna para i-target na natin ‘yung 100 percent so that Boracay will have entire immunity. Yun kasi ang target natin,” Bautista said in a televised public briefing.

(All our workers are almost 12,000 and our residents are almost 18,000 so we need 40,000 vaccine doses to be able to target the 100 percent so that Boracay will have entire immunity. That is our goal.)

The local government earlier began administering jabs to Boracay tourism workers as the region prepares for the expected resumption of tourism activities.

So far, with the current 10,000 available doses, 1,122 tourism workers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Bautista said.

He said the local government is expecting additional vaccine doses as promised by the national government to boost immunization in the locality, including frontliners and the whole of the community.

“They promised us na dadagdagan nila para ma-complete nga itong requirement para sa mga tourism workers and frontliners,” Bautista said.

(They promised us that they will add to complete the requirement for our tourism workers and frontliners.)

“Pero sa ‘tin sa community, hihintayin pa namin kung ilan ‘yun [doses]. But they promised also na dapat sa Boracay ma-complete na 100 percent na talaga na mabigyan ng bakuna, not only the frontliners, but pati na yung mga nasa community,” he added.

(But for our community, we have to wait for additional doses. But they promised also that Boracay should complete 100 percent and vaccinate, not only the frontliners, but also those within the community.)

According to the Department of Tourism, there are 40,000 tourism workers in Malay, Aklan, including the 3,000 tourism workers in Boracay who had been initially targeted to receive COVID-19 shots.

Of the 3,000, 2,178 individuals are employed in accommodation establishments; 308 in restaurants; 140 in tourist transport; and 374 are tourism frontline personnel.

Boracay has eased its quarantine restrictions and is open to local tourists who need to present a negative RT-PRC result in order to visit the tourist spot. — Faith Yuen Wei Ragasa, trainee

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