The Taguig police set up checkpoints in the city to check vaccination cards while a hospital stopped face-to-face consultations due to the increase in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the city.
According to the Taguig police, the specialized checkpoints are meant to check the vaccination status of people moving around in the city.
Metro Manila mayors, including Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano, signed a resolution to restrict the movement of unvaccinated individuals under Alert Level 3 or higher.
The Taguig City government adopted the resolution with the Taguig Safe City Task Force issuing an advisory that unvaccinated individuals in the city should “remain in their residences at all times except for the procurement of essential goods and services such as, but not limited to, food, water, medicine, medical devices, public utilities, and energy, work, and medical and dental necessities.”
They are also “prohibited in indoor and outdoor/al fresco dining in restaurants and other food establishments and shall likewise be prohibited from leisure or social trips to malls, hotels, event venues, Taguig City Hall, sports and country clubs, and similar facilities.”
Unvaccinated persons are “prohibited in domestic travel via public transportation by land, sea, and air except for the procurement of essential goods and services such as, but not limited to, food, water, medicine, medical devices, public utilities, and energy, work, and medical and dental necessities subject to the production of proof to support and justify such travel.”
They need to show a negative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT PCR) before being admitted for work onsite.
According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the police checkpoints requiring people to show proof of vaccination status is to follow the order of President Rodrigo Duterte to restrict the mobility of unvaccinated people especially in public transportation.
“The DILG and the PNP have begun implementing the measures directed by the President to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country especially in Alert Level 3 areas where there has been an exponential increase of cases due to the transmission of the Omicron variant,” said DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya.
He said unvaccinated persons going to work must present a negative RT-PCR test result every two weeks, otherwise, they will not be allowed to pass the checkpoints.
Meanwhile, the Taguig City government announced that “due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the City, Taguig-Pateros District Hospital (TPDH) Outpatient Department will temporarily stop face-to-face consultations until further notice.”
“Taguigeños are advised to avail of the free teleconsultation in order to reduce the risk of infection for both citizens and healthcare workers,” it added.
As of Jan. 5, Taguig has 188 active COVID-19 cases including 60 new cases out of 52,786 confirmed cases, 52,157 recoveries, and 441 deaths.