CEBU CITY, Philippines — The 2019 novel coronavirus could not stop the Suroy Suroy Sugbo Enchanting Camotes slated this April 25 to 26, 2020.
In a meeting with the mayors at the Capitol on Thursday, February 6, 2020, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced that the two-day tour in the four towns in Camotes Island will continue despite the threat of the 2019 novel coronavirus.
The question of whether or not Suroy Suroy Sugbo will push through was brought up as the issue on the suspension of activities that will gather huge crowds was taken up.
The Suroy Suroy Sugbo, a tour around the towns of Cebu, usually gathers hundreds of participants consisting of both local, balikbayans and foreigners.
In the Northern Escapade leg of Suroy-Suroy Sugbo last January 22 to 24, the tour was participated by 305 paying participants.
“Ang nakaayo karon kay safety nets are in place. Duna nay prohibition on the entry of tourists of any nationality who are from China or have visited China in the past 14 days,” Garcia said.
The governor added that the province and other government agencies are also continuing their information drive on personal hygiene and on ways to prevent the contraction and spread of the viral disease.
In a separate interview, Garcia said she will leave it up to the local chief executives of every town to decide whether or not they will suspend their activities.
The Municipality of Consolacion, for instance, suspended the celebration of its centennial founding anniversary amid the 2019-nCoV threat.
Meanwhile, Garcia has urged the local tourism enterprises, especially the hotels, to take the current low occupancy due to the 2019-nCoV threat as a chance to improve their facility.
Garcia said the hotels can renovate their rooms or improve other amenities so that when the health risk has settled and tourists start to come in again, they will have the advantage of having better things to offer.
Chinese tourists, in 2018, occupy the second-highest rank of tourists in Cebu in terms of arrival. /rcg