Pansol resorts allowed to reopen: What you need to know before booking

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has allowed the reopening of accommodation establishments in areas under general community quarantine starting June 1.

As reported by Maki Pulido on “24 Oras” Friday, this means the resorts in Pansol, Laguna, can resume operations next month.

According to the IATF guidelines, these establishments can accommodate only up to 30% capacity, while guests should be between 18 and 65 years old, belong to the same household, not pregnant, and have no comorbidities.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said only those resorts with accreditation would be allowed to operate.

The development was welcomed by resort owners, who said they had lost over PHP 500,000 during their three months closure.

“Sobrang laki ng nalulugi sa ’min ngayon, almost millions or hundred percent ang nawawala sa ’min sa mga owners, caretakers kasi wala po kaming maipapasweldo sa kanila,” said Ivan Mangubat, a resort owner in Pansol.

The Department of Tourism also recommended the resumption of leisure travel by June 1 in other areas of the country to help workers in the tourism sector.

“Hindi lang for the travelers, para magkahanapbuhay na ang ating mga kababayan sa iba’t bang tourist destinations all over the country,” said Puyat.

Meanwhile, over 800 hotels have been serving as quarantine facilities to make up for their losses.

Employees in these establishments are now categorized as A1 or medical frontliners, instead of A4 or economic frontliners, which means they will now be prioritized for vaccination.

Around 2,000 of these workers have already been inoculated, but there are still more than 26,000 staffers to go. – RC, GMA News