Duque: Gov’t discussing possible mandatory vaccination of teachers
(FILE PHOTO): Public school teachers receive Sinovac jab during COVID-19 vaccination effort of the City Government of Manila on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at Palacio de Maynila, Roxas Boulevard. INQUIRER file photo / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — The government is now discussing the possibility of requiring teachers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the country shifts to a new normal approach to the pandemic, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Wednesday.
“Yes, pinag-uusapan nga ‘yan (that is being discussed),” Duque said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel when asked if the Inter-Agency Task Force has discussed the possible mandatory vaccination for teachers amid the expansion of face-to-face or in-person classes.
“In fact in some of our IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) meetings, si Secretary Liling (Leoner) Briones has been very, very front about it na malaking problema kung may mga teachers na anti-vaxxers, ayaw magpabakuna. ‘Yan naman ay tinitignan na natin but slowly I think the numbers are improving. More and more teachers are wanting to have themselves vaccinated,” he added.
(In fact in some of our IATF meetings, Secretary Liling Briones has been very, very front about it, saying it will be a huge problem if there are teachers who are anti-vaxxers. We are looking at that but I think the numbers are slowly improving. More and more teachers are wanting to have themselves vaccinated.)
Briones earlier said 1,726 schools are currently having face-to-face classes while 6,213 out of the 60,473 schools in the Philippines are already prepared for the resumption of physical classes.
The Department of Education has stated that only vaccinated teaching and non-teaching personnel will be allowed to participate in the expansion of the pilot implementation of the face-to-face classes.
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