‘Vaccines, no walks’: Restrictions on public transportation in Manila Coronavirus pandemic News

The policy covers all public transportation, including Metro Manila and Metro Manila, but critics say it is discriminatory.

The Philippine government has banned public transportation for unvaccinated residents of the capital and surrounding areas of Manila amid a new rise in COVID-19 cases as a result of the Omicron variant.

In an order issued on Wednesday, the country’s transportation secretary, Arthur Tugade, said the “no vaccine, no walk” policy includes all public transportation including Metro to and from Manila.

Public transport operators, including land, air and sea, “will only allow people who are fully vaccinated to enter or issue tickets,” and passengers must show proof of their identification and vaccination status.

The order added that people are fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks after receiving the single-dose vaccine.

Earlier, the mayors of Metro Manila agreed to restrict the mobility of people not included in the capital, including a ban on access to shopping malls and other facilities, although some legal experts questioned the constitutionality of the restrictions.

President Rodrigo Duterte criticized him afterwards he ordered the arrest of unvaccinated persons which will break the orders to stay at home with the aim of stopping the spread of the virus, which is causing a new wave of record-breaking cases since the beginning of the year.

As of Jan. 10, there were approximately 52.86 million Philippine vaccines in total, according to the government, the equivalent of 48 percent of the country’s total population of 110 million.

On Tuesday, the Philippines reported 28,007 new cases of COVID, slightly lower than the record 33,000 new cases on Monday.

‘Illegal, absurd’

The new order from the transport department said that the pandemic would be considered a violation of the general safety and health provisions established in the country.

There are some exceptions to the order, including people with illnesses that cannot be vaccinated and people who are assigned to purchase their essential goods outside their home.

However, the order has created strong opposition. In a statement, Renato Reyes, a leader of the opposition and rights groups, called it “illegal and absurd.”

DoTr’s “no vaccines, no public travel” policy is illegal and absurd. Only 48% of the population is vaccinated. Can’t half the population move now? How about people going to their vaccination sites? Do they expect to walk?

– Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) January 12, 2022

“Now half the population can’t move? How about people going to their vaccination sites? Are you expected to walk? ”He wrote on social media.

The AltMobility PH transport defense team questioned the order, saying it was discriminatory.

“You’re discriminating against the movement of people who take public transportation,” he said. “What about those in private vehicles? They are allowed to roam the city without any control, ”said Ira Cruz, the director of the group, on the ABS-CBN website.

“Is it really easy to get people vaccinated? We still hear the stories of people who spend all day vaccinating at a vaccination site, ”Cruz said.

Since the pandemic hit the Philippines in 2020, Dutert has imposed measures that critics have questioned that are too restrictive and not based on data and science.

Dutert had previously threatened to arrest those who violated the country’s blockade measures, and he warned those who refused they would go to jail last year due to the spread of the Delta variant last year.

When the government first imposed blockades in April 2020, Duterte also warned that he would command the country’s police and military. to shoot anyone “Causing problems.”