15 foreign tourists test positive for COVID-19 in Palawan

The Department of Health revealed on Tuesday that fifteen fully vaccinated foreign travelers in Palawan had tested positive for COVID-19.

DOH said in a statement that 13 of the tourists were asymptomatic, while the other two started showing moderate symptoms on April 27 and 28.

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“Itong 15 na galing sa Tubbataha [Reef] ay maayos naman ang kanilang kundisyon at hindi naman sila malala or umabot sa moderate. Halos kalahati sa kanila is asymptomatic. May konting ubo, konting sipon,” said incident commander Dean Palanca.

“14 were isolated in facilities while one was admitted to a hospital. They were tested in RT-PCR on April 29-30, of which all resulted as positive,” the Health department added.

From May 1 to 15, Cagayancillo, Palawan, is on Level 1 Alert. Meanwhile, the rest of the province has been placed on Alert Level 2 for the same time period.

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According to Palanca, the airport in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, has eased its restrictions, unlike in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Hindi naman gano’n kahigpit na, although ang ginagawa rito ay tsine-check na lang ang kanilang mga temperature, at kung may mga ubo [at] sipon. Other than that, hindi na tayo naghihigpit pa ng ibang precautionary measures sa kanila,” said Palanca.

15 foreign tourists test positive for COVID-19 in Palawan

The Department of Health further stated that its Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units (RESUs) and City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) are currently verifying the situation on the ground and will offer additional information as soon as it becomes available.

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Since February 10, the Philippines has been open to business and leisure travelers from 157 visa-free countries. Since April 1, foreign tourists, especially those from visa-exempt countries, have been welcomed in the country.

Only fully vaccinated international travelers are permitted to enter the country. In addition, they must show a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result 48 hours before departure or a negative laboratory-based antigen result in 24 hours before departure.

While safety nets against other COVID-19 variations and sublineages remain in place, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire has stated that the Philippines cannot regularly open and close its borders with other nations.

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