Iloilo City mulls unvaxxed ban in public places

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The city government of Iloilo is planning to prohibit unvaccinated people from entering public places such as malls, movie houses and government offices to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID.

Mayor Jerry Treñas yesterday announced that the city government is drafting an executive order that would ban unvaccinated people in these establishments.

The announcement drew mixed reactions from netizens, who said the city government should consider the possibility of the proliferation of fake vaccination cards once the order is imposed.

Some cited human rights, saying vaccination should be voluntary.

Others welcomed the move and expressed hope the ban would cover public markets.

In making the announcement, Treñas stressed the existence of the Omicron variant and the infection rates recorded in Australia, Europe and the United States.

“We need to ramp up vaccination and booster shots to give adequate protection to everyone,” Treñas said.

On Monday, he announced that effective Jan. 17, city hall employees and visitors should be vaccinated or have taken the booster shots before they would be allowed entry.

Treñas said the city would ramp up the vaccination for minors aged five to 11 once enough vaccines are available.

In the last two weeks, Iloilo City registered single-digit COVID cases, with four the highest, recorded on Dec. 14 and 15.