CEBU CITY — City Mayor Michael Rama announced today he will ask permission from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and the Department of Health (DOH) to allow all schools here to resume face-to-face classes in August.
Rama however stressed that a massive vaccination drive for teachers, students and parents will have to be conducted if in-person classes are to be allowed.
“I am in favor of the return of face-to-face classes,” said Rama. “We will bring this matter to the IATF and DOH for serious consideration.”
Rama added that a school has already offered its campus as a venue for a mass vaccination.
The city will coordinate with the DOH and its Vaccination Operations Center so that if the planned mass vaccination will push through, it will be done in an orderly manner, the mayor said.
If the plans push through, the city will start the mass vaccination in public schools from pre-school to sixth grade, Rama said.
Rama is hoping that mass vaccination will get enough support from teachers, parents and students.
“I will not be coercing but they know better that vaccination is the way to liberation,” Rama said.
As of March 14, a total of 555 schools in Central Visayas have been allowed to resume holding in-person classes.
The city is preparing for the resumption of face-to-face classes in 13 schools in mountain barangays.
No school located in the city proper has started holding in-person classes.