BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – So it could get more people vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the provincial government of Negros Occidental will be giving incentives.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Barangay Health Workers (BHW) will also be covered by the incentives program – they will earn P25 for every person they can convince to get vaccinated.
The fully vaccinated – two shots of the two-dose vaccine completed – will receive five kilos of rice.
According to Lacson, the provincial government counts on local government units, especially the BHWs, to do the leg work persuading people to go to vaccination sites for inoculation.
“It is now their task to convince their respective communities, especially the senior citizens,” Lacson said.
The provincial government-led vaccination will be held every Thursday and Friday for the first three weeks of June, and Monday and Tuesday for the last week of the month.
Negros Occidental is aiming to vaccinate 666,363 individuals this month.
Once the target number is reached, Lacson will ask the Inter-Agency Task Force to de-escalate the province’s alert level to Alert Level 1 from the current Alert Level 2.
Under Alert Level 1, which is described by the Department of Health (DOH) as the “new normal”, intrazonal and interzonal travel is allowed regardless of age and comorbidities.
All establishments, persons or activities are permitted to operate, work or be done at full onsite capacity provided that health standards are observed.
In person or “face-to-face” classes for basic education is subject to the approval of the Office of the President.
Under the stricter Alert Level 2, while intrazonal and interzonal movement is allowed this is subject to reasonable restrictions that local government units may impose.
Select establishments or activities are permitted to operate at a maximum of 50 percent indoor capacity for fully vaccinated individuals and 70 percent outdoor capacity./PN
