The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is strongly opposed to the idea of segregating persons who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from those who have not been inoculated.
"While more needs to be done to curb the spread of the virus, enacting policies that segregate the vaccinated from unvaccinated individuals may be prone to abuse and discrimination,” the CHR said through Spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia.
The CHR has taken "great solace" that both the Department of Health (DOH) and Malacañang have deferred from implementing “such idea,” De Guia said.
The commission reacted to statement aired by Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion who said that some business establishments are already entertaining the idea of separating those who have been vaccinated from the unvaccinated ones.
"We agree that further discussions and studies need to be done for future policies to protect general populations," De Guia said.
For now, she pointed out, the best defense against the virus is to continue the vaccination efforts and comply with basic health protocols.
She cited that the DOH has reported that over two million Filipinos have already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and that as of June 20, a total of 8,407,342 doses have so far been administered with 6,253,400 shots accounting for the first dose and 2,153,942 for the second dose.
Local government units (LGUs) are likewise reporting record-breaking vaccination numbers, with the average daily administered doses batting at 208,809, she said.
"We are confident that continued efforts of the LGUs, national government, and collective action of the people will help keep vaccination numbers up and COVID outbreaks low," she added.