‘No vax, no entry’ in Mactan malls

CEBU CITY — Only those who are vaccinated can freely enter the malls in Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan Island in Cebu province starting on Thursday.

Those who have not been vaccinated can go inside the malls but must test negative in a rapid antigen test, which would be shouldered by the city government.

Minors may enter the malls but must wear face masks and are accompanied by parents who are either vaccinated or have undergone rapid antigen tests. These orders were issued by Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan on Thursday, who also deployed on the same day more marshals in malls and commercial centers in the city to make sure people follow the health protocols to stop the spread of the virus.

The mayor also organized a composite team to do surprise and random antigen tests among unvaccinated employees in different hotels, industrial outlets and resorts.

“This is how I show my love for the Oponganons (residents of Lapu-Lapu City),” he said.

As of Thursday, Lapu-Lapu City still has 39 active cases of COVID-19, out of the 13,662 infections it has logged since March last year, with 13,154 recoveries and 469 deaths.Chan urged people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to help stop the pandemic.

He said the city government has prepared raffle prizes for persons joining the nationwide vaccination drive from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 in the hope of enticing the unvaccinated individuals to get inoculated against COVID-19. The prizes include motorcycles, television sets, air purifiers, mountain bikes, among others.

At present, Chan said 92 percent of the city’s eligible population already got the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 69 percent already received their second dose.

The national government has set a target of 12,600 vaccinations per day for the first dose during the three-day vaccination drive. —NESTLE SEMILLA