CAVITE — Starting in December, the national government will require all employees performing on-site work in areas with enough COVID-19 vaccine supply to be immunized, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Friday.
According to Roque, the new Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF)-approved policy applies to all establishments and employers in both the public and private sectors, as the government increases vaccine coverage and considers mandatory immunization of the country’s population.
Furthermore, Roque stated that all workers to be vaccinated during working hours shall not be considered absent if appropriate confirmation of a validated vaccination schedule is provided.
“Accordingly, only the presentation of a medical clearance issued by a government health office, or birth certificate, as the case may be, shall serve as sufficient and valid proof of ineligibility for vaccination,” the spokesman said.
Moreover, public transportation services in the road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors shall likewise require all their eligible workers to be fully vaccinated as a condition to continue their operations.
“Public and private establishments may validly refuse entry and/or deny service to individuals who remain to be unvaccinated, or are merely partially vaccinated, despite being eligible for vaccination. Frontline and emergency services, on the other hand, shall continue to render assistance to all persons, regardless of vaccination status,” he uttered.
Roque also urged all government agencies to “implement measures prioritizing fully vaccinated individuals availing of government programs and services”.
As of November 10, the Philippines has administered 65,764,376 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with about 30,108,097 Filipinos now fully immunized against the viral disease.
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