ZAMBOANGA CITY—Bankers here are seeking to be among those in the early priority for vaccination after several of their personnel got infected with COVID-19.
Some 11 banks in the city are currently closed for disinfection.
“We are appealing to the local government and to the interagency task force (on COVID-19) officials to prioritize bank employees in the vaccination,” Inocente Locson, president of the Zamboanga City Bankers and Financiers Association, said.
“We are also front liners, we go to war everyday. And like (in) a war, we see our frontliners falling down due to COVID-19),” Locson added.
As of May 24, there are 33 bank employees who are among the active COVID-19 cases in the city.
That brings to 142 bank workers who got the virus since January. The city’s 76 banks employ a total of 1,300 workers and 1,107 of them are still up for vaccination.
Early this month, some 13 banks also temporarily closed due to COVID-19 infections among their personnel.
“It’s taking (a) long (time) to source out vaccines for our employees,” Locson noted.
To further help curb infections from the gathering of people, most of the banks in the city operate from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. only, although some up to 2 p.m., Locson said.
“This is very alarming,” said councilor John Dalipe, chair of the City Council’s health committee, proposing that bank employees be given priority in vaccination, along with uniformed personnel in the A4 Priority List of the Department of Health.
“Banking is one of the essential services in these trying times. Banks should continue with their operations, to ensure cash flows and economic activities are unhampered,” Dalipe added.
As of May 27, the city has 2,393 active cases, down from 2,540 on May 23 as the new recoveries outpaced the new cases.
Total deaths from the disease have now reached 391 of which 133 were recorded within this month.
The city, which is under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), has been battling the surge of cases for almost two months now.
In the past weeks, the local government has further tightened the enforcement of minimum health protocols. On Tuesday, the police recorded 402 violations of MECQ guidelines, mostly the failure to present quarantine pass and non-wearing of face shields.