The Government of Philippines has announced that employees who are rejoining offices need to get vaccinated or undergo frequent testing for the COVID-19 virus.
The vaccination mandate will be enforced from December 1, as revealed by a presidential spokesperson. Those who choose to not get inoculated before the set date would be required to undergo regular tests and pay for the same from their own pockets.
Employees getting vaccinated during work hours will not be marked absent provided they produce proof of the vaccination appointment or schedule.
As per the new rules, public and private establishments have the liberty to decide whether to give services to unvaccinated individuals, except in the case of emergencies.
Further, public transportation services will be required to get 100 per cent of their employees inoculated as a condition to continue operations.
This decision was taken by the authorities as the vaccination drive is currently unfolding at a relatively slow pace.
This, in turn, is slowing down the Filipino government’s efforts to fully reopen the economy and ensure economic growth.
Government officials have said that the major disruption in vaccination is arising in the far-flung provinces.
Currently, just a little over a quarter of the Country’s population has been vaccinated. The Country’s government is urging Filipinos to get their shots, as enough shots are available for all. The government will be holding a three-day mass inoculation drive from November 29.
It is hoped that this drive will immunise over 15 million people.
