With the government’s vaccination program opening up to the A4 priority group, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday urged teachers and other school officials and staff to register in their respective local government units (LGUs) and get vaccinated against the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Gatchalian noted teachers continue to bear the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic and have to sacrifice their health and safety to ensure learning continuity amid the pandemic.

The Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture said it is crucial that the government provide them the much-needed protection they deserve, noting that day-to-day activities such as printing and distribution of self-learning modules expose them to the risk of being infected.

When more teachers are vaccinated, the senator also said parents and students would also have more confidence to participate in limited face-to-face classes once the President gives the go-signal.

“Now that the government is starting to open the COVID-19 vaccinaion program for the A4 priority list, I’m calling on all teachers, including non-teaching personnel, to take advantage of this program and get registered and vaccinated,” Gatchalian said.

“Vaccination is not just for our own protection, but also to ensure the protection of our families and whole communities,” he said.

Teachers and other basic education frontliners are included in the A4 priority list of the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program, which also includes frontline personnel in essential sectors.

While they were originally included in the B1 category, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved to include them in the A4 priority list last April.