The Department of Health (DOH) said that policies concerning those people vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as well as the unvaccinated must not be discriminatory at this point.
"We value the recommendations from the private sector and always consider their proposals. However, policies should be non-discriminatory at this point since we still have to vaccinate a large portion of our population," said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a statement on Friday, Aug. 20.
Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion has proposed on Tuesday, Aug. 17, to create a "safer bubble" for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Metro Manila. This means that only those who completed their vaccination are allowed to enter restaurants and other establishments within the metropolis.
"We are pushing for establishments in NCR (National Capital Region), such as malls, restaurants and others, to allow only fully vaccinated individuals so we can create safer bubbles,” Concepcion then said.
At present, the government is trying to vaccinate a large number of people, Vergeire said.
“Remember, we are vaccinating as many Filipinos as possible and continuously implementing the minimum public health standards in order to save lives and also protect those who are not yet vaccinated.
As of Aug. 18, a total of 12,877,197 Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, while 16,250,043 people got their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Related story: ‘Safer bubbles’ proposed in NCR: Malls, restos open only for fully vaccinated — Concepcion