Text and photos by Hermes Joy Tunac
After seven months since my last pre-COVID-19 travel, visiting Boracay recently has given me a broad idea on how future domestic trips to vacation destinations would be like in the coming months. Given how fluid the situation still is, protocols might change without prior notice, as both national and local governments find the right balance between safety and the need for people to travel. But if you’re planning to take a vacation soon, read on to pick up a few tips on how to travel as safely and as responsibly as possible in the new normal.
Boracay is one of the few travel destinations in the Philippines that currently welcomes domestic tourists. Before traveling, tourists are now required by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to present a negative SARS-COV-2 result from the RT-PCR test, within 48 to 72 hours before the date of their arrival on the island.
Upon receiving your swab test results, you have to submit an online health declaration form to the local government unit of Aklan for them to issue you a tourist QR code that you will need to enter and access facilities on the island. You need to keep a copy of this QR code on your phone or have it printed since you have to bring it wherever you go.
Upon arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), you have to present your health declaration form, flight ticket and valid identification card. Wearing of face mask and face shield, and physical distancing are strictly observed as you move onward.
I took a Cebu Pacific flight going to Boracay. According to the cabin crew, each CebuPac aircraft uses a cleaning technology that circulates within the cabin, which does away with the requirement of leaving adjacent seats empty. However, the cabin crew’s services no longer include serving food, selling airline merchandise and conducting the airline’s signature “fun games.”
When I arrived at the Caticlan airport, I immediately sanitized my hands using the airport’s rubbing alcohol before lining up to have my QR code scanned. You need to go through and pass this verification process to gain accreditation and access to accommodations. Depending on the number of people on queue, this process takes between 15 to 30 minutes.
After this, you have to line up again to get your seat number on the bus or van, which depends on the hotel you’re booked at.
Unlike inside the CebuPac aircraft, physical distancing is strictly observed inside vans and buses.
When I arrived at Feliz Hotel, I had to go through the same standard protocols of hand sanitizing, thermal scanning and physical distancing. The wearing of face mask was also strictly being implemented.
Upon checking in, a staff accompanied me to my room. But unlike before the pandemic, he isn’t allowed to step inside to help me with my luggage, as the housecleaning staff had already sanitized the room. Doorknobs and the TV remote were all covered with cling wrap.
The same protocol is strictly observed for in-room food services. Hotel staff will deliver your food and leave it by the door.
When going to the beach, you don’t need to wear a face shield anymore. However, you are required to wear a face mask at all times while walking along Boracay’s picturesque beach. You can only take off your mask if you’re going to take a dip.
Since I still don’t feel safe staying out too long, I only visited the white-sand beach every sunset to do yoga for 30 minutes or so. I made sure to find an empty spot on the beach, which wasn’t difficult as there were only a handful of people enjoying Boracay’s waters. All throughout my brief stay in Boracay, I also took my vitamins religiously to fortify my immune system against the virus.
Even while in Boracay, I didn’t miss the chance to engage in yoga. For me, movement is medicine. I believe it keeps my body physically strong and mentally healthy. Plus the view from where I stood (or sat, depending on the yoga pose I was doing) was in itself therapeutic and priceless.
These new standard travel rules tend to eat up more of your precious vacation time than before. It can be taxing and tedious, but, as travelers these days, you need to be patient. Having experienced the new travel rules firsthand–including the discomfort of wearing face mask and face shield while lining up–I would advise people not to lose their cool.
At the end of the day, I would much rather choose to follow these protocols than to unwittingly expose myself and further spread COVID-19. Being a responsible tourist in the new normal not only protects you from the virus, but also the people around you.
If you’re planning to visit Boracay soon, click on this link to see the list of accredited hotels on the island with certificates of authority to operate.
