The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said COVID-19 vaccination must continue even with the start of campaign activities for local positions this Friday (March 25).
In the March 22 Laging Handa briefing, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing said there are still areas across the country that have not yet achieved 70% vaccination coverage of their target population.
“At ito ang kadahilanan kung bakit mayroon tayong mga lokal na gobyerno, probinsiya, highly urbanized city, at independent component city na despite the fact na iyong kanilang COVID-19 case data … ay pasok na sa Alert Level 1, hindi pa natin sila binaba sa Alert Level 1,” he said.
Amid the ongoing campaign activities for national elections and the upcoming sorties for local posts, Densing said both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals are allowed to participate in outdoor campaign activities.
Unvaccinated individuals are not allowed to join the campaign held in indoor venues, even under Alert Level 1.
Meanwhile, the official said they are finalizing a joint memorandum circular to require Safety Seal certification from establishments seeking business permit and renewal.
“Gusto nating isama ito dahil tayo ay nasa national public health emergency pa, so importante dahil sa national public health emergency, iyong ating mga negosyo ay tumutupad sa mga pamamaraan o imprastraktura para maprotektahan ang ating mga kababayan na papasok sa kanilang mga establishment,” he said.
According to DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, more than 75,000 establishments across the country have been granted Safety Seal certification. – Report from Patrick de Jesus/AG-rir
