Unvaccinated applicants, including minors, will not be accommodated in any temporary off-site passport services (TOPS) in malls located in areas where at least alert level 3 is raised, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced.
In an advisory on Jan. 5, the department said the barring of unvaccinated and minors is due to the restrictions imposed by their host malls that do not allow the entry of unvaccinated persons.
"Consular Offices are unable to override the host malls’ security and health protocols," the DFA said.
Unvaccinated applicants and minors were advised to first check the regulations of the relevant malls before proceeding to their appointments or have their appointments rescheduled after having been fully-vaccinated against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
They can also have their appointments rescheduled after malls and local government units lift the entry restriction on unvaccinated persons.
"The department requests the public’s cooperation as it strives to deliver passport services to the public while ensuring the public’s safety and health amidst the ongoing pandemic," the Foreign Affairs department said.
After initially retaining the alert level 2 for Metro Manila for the first half of January, the government decided to placed it under the stricter alert level 3 due to the spike of new COVID-19 cases.
Metro Manila will be under alert level 3 until Jan. 15.
READ MORE: Metro Manila placed on Alert Level 3 from Jan 3-15; stricter measures for unvaccinated ordered