Unvaccinated teaching and non-teaching personnel are required to show negative coronavirus test results before they are allowed to enter the school premises for onsite reporting, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.

With the rollout of the expansion phase of limited face-to-face classes this month, DepEd reminded teachers and other personnel of the need to comply with national policies followed by all public institutions including the guidelines on unvaccinated individuals.

"If they don’t want to, they don't have to because vaccination remains voluntary,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a presser last week.

“But if they go to school, and we have said that time and again, they need to show result of RT-PCR or antigen so we can also protect those who are vaccinated,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.

During face-to-face classes, DepEd maintained that only teachers who were vaccinated against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are allowed to participate.

However, DepEd Officer-in-Charge (OIC)-Undersecretary for Human Resource and Development Wilfredo Cabral said that “as long as there is no interaction with the learners and those teachers who teach inside the classrooms,” unvaccinated teachers and personnel may be required to report on-site provided that they present negative RT/PCR or antigen test.

Citing the DO 11, s. 2020, Cabral reiterated that combinations of Skeleton Workforce, Work-From-Home, 2-Week or Weekly Rotation, and Work Shifting arrangements may be adopted for unvaccinated teachers and personnel.

Meanwhile, DepEd continues to encourage teachers who have not been vaccinated to consider taking the jab.

DepEd Director for Bureau of Learner Support Services Lope Santos III reported that there are 970,694 personnel eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.

Of this number, 810,300 or 83.48 percent have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Santos said that 121,124 personnel received a single dose while 689,176 are already fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Santos reported that 181,932 personnel remain unvaccinated wherein 138,030 are registered while 43,902 are unregistered. There are also 4,177 personnel with “unknown” status.

Among the reasons gathered by DepEd from its unvaccinated personnel include disqualification from attending physicians, lack of trust in the COVID-19 vaccine, and waiting for a preferred vaccine brand.

Some cited “other reasons” while there are also those who did not give any particular reason for refusing to get the jab.