Foreign passengers who arrived at Terminal 2 of MCIA on February 6, 2020, from a long haul flight queue as BOQ personnel examine their health declaration checklist. CDN Digital Photo | Morexette Marie Erram
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Metro Cebu now has at least 2,000 hotel rooms ready to accommodate foreigners arriving at Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA), who will be subjected to the 14-day mandatory quarantine.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced at a press conference Friday, March 20, 2020, that nine hotels based in Metro Cebu have supported the Capitol’s mandate for foreigners to be placed under quarantine.
“There are already a number of hotels who expressed support, out of the goodness of their Cebuano hearts, to house these foreign travelers,” said Garcia.
Garcia, in an Executive Order issued last March 15, 2020, required foreign passengers from international flights to undergo the mandatory quarantine. She added that the measure is to ensure the safety of Cebuano residents by putting travelers from abroad under close observation.
As a result, the Capitol has tapped the help of hotels.
Expenses for the 14-day stay will be shouldered by the foreigners themselves, which for Garcia, translate as an income for the hotels. The hotel and leisure industry is one of the industries directly affected by the economic impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The national government has not banned international flights flying into MCIA, the country’s second busiest airport.
Data from the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) showed that at least 24 foreigners were already placed under quarantine in undisclosed hotels since March 19, 2020.
Maria Lester Ybañez, Cebu’s tourism officer, said they are also now in talks with four other hotels to accommodate quarantine procedures.
The Hotel Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu Inc. (HRRAC) reported a 30 percent dip in their hotel occupancy rates since the onset of COVID-19 in February. /RCG