Unvaccinated visitors banned from dolomite beach – DENR

MANILA, Philippines — Only fully vaccinated visitors will be allowed to enter the dolomite beach in Manila, which reopened to the public yesterday, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

Manila Baywalk dolomite beach ground commander Reuel Sorilla said unvaccinated individuals are prohibited from entering the man-made beach.

Under the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Sorilla said children 11 years old and below are not allowed to enter the beach.

Sorilla said they would strictly implement the online registration for visitors one day before the scheduled visit.

Those who want to visit the dolomite beach can register at http://denrncrsys.online.

“We advise online registrants to come on time for their scheduled visit as everyone will be required to leave the beach area upon the lapse of the one-hour period for the next batch,” Sorilla said.

The DENR said walk-in visitors must bring their vaccination cards to be presented at the entrance gate. They are also required to follow health protocols such as wearing of face masks.

Entrance to the dolomite beach will be conducted in batches, with a maximum of 300 visitors per group.

The DENR advised visitors to avoid bringing their pets with them. Eating, drinking as well as taking dolomite sand are prohibited.

Sorilla also reminded the public that swimming is still not allowed on the beach.

Data from the Manila Bay Coordinating Office showed that the Baywalk area registered a decrease in coliform level in all its nine stations.

The Baywalk recorded an average of 21,100 most probable number per 100 milliliters as of last year, from 5.75 million mpn/100 mL in 2019.

Four stations in the Baseco beach area registered a drop in coliform level to 21,500 mpn/100 mL in September last year from 145,000 mpn/100 mL in 2020.

In December 2008, the Supreme Court ordered the DENR and 12 other government agencies to restore and preserve Manila Bay’s water quality level to 100 mpn/100mL, which is fit for swimming and other recreational activities.