TEMPORARILY CLOSED. No tourists or residents dare to swim at the Abagatanen beach in Agno town in Pangasinan as the municipal government ordered its temporary closure from March 26 to April 5, 2021. Agno town is one of the local government units in Pangasinan province to temporarily close its tourism sites this Lenten Season. (Photo by Hilda Austria)
SUAL, Pangasinan – Beaches and other tourism sites in the town of Sual as well as the municipalities of Bani, Agno, Lingayen, Binmaley, and San Fabian are temporarily closed during the Lenten Season.
In Executive Order (EO) No. 10 issued on Monday, Mayor Liseldo Calugay said the temporary closure of Sual’s beaches and other tourism establishments aims to protect the residents from the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Calugay said the order will take effect immediately but the resumption of the tourism sites’ operation was not stated.
Accommodation establishments and tourist destinations in Sual have been closed from March 26 until April 5.
On the other hand, the municipal government of Binmaley announced over the weekend the temporary closure of its Binmaley beach from March 31 to April 5 to avoid the influx of tourists.
The Binmaley Baywalk, however, can still be used as an alternate route for vehicles going and coming from Lingayen town, it added.
In Lingayen town, swimming, mass gatherings, picnics, and sporting events are prohibited at the Lingayen Baywalk from March 31 to April 4.
San Fabian beach will also be closed to tourists and beachgoers from 5 a.m. on April 1 until 9 p.m. on April 4.
“An influx of tourists and beachgoers to San Fabian beach might cause traffic and any untoward incidents as well as a possible carrier of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19),” Mayor Constante Agbayani said in Executive Order No. 15 released to the public on March 24.
He said the increasing number of Covid-19 cases and variants in the different parts of the country is a threat to the residents of the town.
Bani town also temporarily closed its tourism sites from March 26 until April 4.
In Dagupan City, the Tondaligan beach is open during Holy Week, however, the no swimming policy remains.
“We will not close the Tondaligan beach on Holy Week because we do not want to deprive shed owners and vendors the opportunity to do business. Tondaligan is open to the public but we are not allowing swimming. And to secure everyone who will be there, we formed a joint task force to enforce minimum public health protocols in the area,” Mayor Marc Brian Lim said in a recent interview.
The other local government units from the coastal areas in Pangasinan province have not yet signified their intent to close their tourism sites as of this posting. (PNA)
