ILOILO CITY –– At least 520 foreign tourists are stranded on Boracay Island due to the suspension of domestic flights because of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

Business operators on Boracay have appealed to the Department of Tourism (DOR) to provide special flights for the mainly European tourists, who have already rebooked their plane tickets to their home countries several times.

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“Some have flights at 7 p.m. today and there is no word if a plane will be available for them,” a business operator told the INQUIRER but asked not to be identified.

“We have been calling the DOT, airlines, local government, and even embassy for days, but they have not addressed the problem,” another business owner said.

Aside from the 520 tourists, many other foreign tourists have decided to extend their stay on the island until next month rather than travel back to their countries, many of which are also on lockdown due to the pandemic.

The Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 earlier lifted the 72-hour window for those traveling overseas upon the implementation of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

The DOT in an earlier statement said it would help foreign tourists affected by the quarantine measures.

Edited by LZB

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.

What you need to know about Coronavirus.

For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

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