Don't forget about us! 150 quarantine hotel workers get COVID jabs on Labor Day
A total of 150 frontline staff of quarantine hotels were among the thousands of workers who benefitted from the symbolic vaccination of laborers against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) last Saturday, May 1, as part of the government's celebration of Labor Day.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the move was in line with preparations for the next phase of the national vaccination program, which would soon move into the A4 priority list. This category includes workers in the tourism industry.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the inclusion of tourism frontliners in the A4 priority group is a positive development for the country's travel and tourism sector, which was among the hardest hit by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"Tourism has always played a major part in uplifting the economy before the pandemic, and it is only by ensuring the good health and safety of our tourism workers through their inoculation can we be assured that they will be ready once the industry fully restarts," Puyat said in a statement on Monday, May 3.
According to Puyat, the department tapped various groups of accommodation establishments such as the Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA), the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA), and the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP) to identify employees of DOT-accredited member hotels who will participate in the immunization program.
Meanwhile, the tourism chair thanked the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases for approving DOT's proposal to include tourism workers in the vaccination program's priority list.
"This is a testimony of the government’s firm resolve to ensure that the Philippine tourism industry will continue to survive this pandemic and thrive after it," Puyat said.
At least 5,000 Filipino laborers were vaccinated during the symbolic Labor Day inoculations dubbed "Resbakunahan sa Araw ng Paggawa". The vaccinations were simultaneously held at three main venues: Palacio De Maynila in Roxas Boulevard in Manila, Lakeshore Hub in Taguig, and the Covered Walk in front of the Quezon City Hall.
There were also vaccinations on various sites in Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Pateros, Marikina, Taguig, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, Las Pinas, and Pasay.