ILOILO City – Those not vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) here will soon be barred from entering malls, places of worship, movie houses, restaurants, and government offices, among others.
Mayor Jerry Treñas will be issuing an executive order on this but he has no date in mind yet when this policy would be fully enforced.
“Bal-an mo ang mga unvaccinated amo gid ‘ni sila ‘ya ang delikado nga iguon. Ang vaccinated nga iguon, mild lang ang infection. Ini nga mga unvaccinated, on the other hand, severe most of the time, kag kinahanglan madala sa hospital,” said Treñas.
He announced the other day that beginning Jan. 17, 2022 city government employees and clients that have not received booster shots against COVID-19 would be barred from entering the city hall.
Treñas said the city government sought recommendations from health experts, especially regarding the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and if the planned “no vaccination, no entry” or “no booster, no entry” policies could be enforced early.
Citing evidence that it is spreading more quickly than other COVID-19 variants, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified Omicron a variant of concern.
Based on the information available, WHO believes it is likely that Omicron will outpace the Delta variant where there is COVID-19 transmission in the community.
The city government would be enforcing the “no booster, no entry” policy at city hall by Jan. 17, 2022 or roughly two weeks from now.
Employees fully vaccinated by September 2021 but have not received booster shots will not be allowed to report to work, stressed Office Order No. OCA-2021-065 issued by City Administrator Melchor Tan.
On the other hand, city government clients with transactions at city hall will be required to present their COVID-19 Booster Cards at the building’s entrance.
Treñas emphasized the need to ramp up vaccination and booster shots, pointing out that the Omicron is currently infecting many in the United States, Europe and even Australia.
The city mayor added that the city will also ramp up the vaccination of minors aged five to 11 years old once the proper vaccines are provided to the city.
“In the meantime, in gatherings leading to the new year please observe the minimum health protocols – wearing of facemasks, social distancing and frequent hand washing. We cannot be overly protective of ourselves and our loved ones during these times,” Treñas said./PN
