The Department of Tourism (DOT) yesterday appealed to all hotel operators, travel agencies and airlines to provide the necessary assistance to tourists who have made prior direct arrangements and have been affected by the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the area.
In a statement, the DOT said it has directed primary and secondary tourism establishments within the NCR Plus area to comply with the DOT Advisory No. 2 2021 on the Extension of the effectivity of DOT Advisory 2021-01: Providing the Interim Operational Guidelines for Accommodation Establishments.
The advisory was issued following the declaration of ECQ in NCR Plus for the period ending on April 4. The advisory continues to be in effect with the extension of ECQ for another week.
Hotels have repurposed their accommodations into quarantine facilities for local residents undergoing mandatory quarantine, returning overseas Filipino workers and overseas Filipinos. The hotels have served as temporary shelter for medical frontliners, business processing outsource employees.
Some 24 hotels in Metro Manila, the Cordillera Administrative Region and Regions IV-A and XI are currently part of the Oplan Kalinga program used as isolation facilities. These are equivalent to 2,442 rooms.
