DILG: Malls should refuse entry to unvaccinated who wish to dine in

Mall security should not allow entry of unvaccinated individuals who want to dine in, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Wednesday.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said this precautionary measure is needed given reports that there are dining establishments which are not strict in requiring their dine in customers to present their COVID-19 vaccination cards.

“Mas maganda po sa entrance pa lamang ng mall ay i-check na natin; ngayon ang hinihigpitan po natin ay iyong mga certain establishments within the mall [It would be better if COVID-19 vaccination cards will already be checked at the entrance; now we are tightening rules for certain establishments within the mall],” Año said during the Laging Handa briefing.

“So ‘pag sinabi pong mga dining establishments [ang pupuntahan], kailangan po ay vaccinated sila.  Para kung sakali man na hindi tsini-check doon sa establisyimentong iyon ay sa mall entrance pa lamang ay mahuli na natin at mapigil na natin iyong pagpasok ng mga unvaccinated individuals na hindi naman kailangan nagda-dine-in sa mga malls [When they say they’re going there to dine, they must already be vaccinated. So just in case those dining establishments don’t check, unvaccinated people will already be stopped at the entrance of malls],” Año added.

Metro Manila, the center of the country’s economy, is under Alert Level 2 until the end of the month. Under the said protocol, minors are allowed to go to leisure areas, including malls, provided their parents and guardians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

However, the COVID-19 vaccine in the country is only available to those aged 12 and above.

At least 30.4 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far.

This number is still far from the target of vaccinating 80% of the country’s 109 million population by May 9, 2022.

The government has set a three-day vaccination event from November 29 to December 1 to be able to administer 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses within three days as a way to ramp up the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program. — BM, GMA News

DILG: Malls should refuse entry to unvaccinated who wish to dine in
Source: Filipino Viral News PH