Unvaccinated people against COVID, banned on public transport in the Philippine capital of Manila

The policy “no vaccination, no travel/no entry” will be in place in the Metro Manila region, a metropolis with more than 13 million inhabitants. Thus, people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are not allowed to use public transport in the Philippine capital Manila, amid the increase in coronavirus cases, the Department of Transport announced on Wednesday, the DPA reported, according to Agerpres.

“All attached agencies and the sectoral offices involved (of the Department of Transportation) are directed to ensure that public transport operators will only allow access or ticketing to people fully vaccinated against COVID,” an order from the department reads. The Filipino metropolis is below the third alert level of a five-level system.

Commuters must present physical or digital copies of government-issued anticoronavirus and identity vaccination cards, the department adds. People with medical conditions that prevent their full vaccination of other COVID-19 are exempt but must present a medical certificate, the department said.

Unvaccinated anticoronavirus people, who have to buy essential goods or need to travel for essential services, may be allowed to board public transport if they have a health permit from officials of their communities or other evidence to justify this trip.

President Rodrigo Duterte has previously ordered community leaders in the country to detain unvaccinated people against COVID-19 at their homes, except for essential travel, and arrest them if they refuse to follow the rules of the authorities.

More than 53 million people, or more than 48% of the total population of the Philippines estimated at 110 million, have been vaccinated against COVID, the department announced Tuesday. The total number of cases in the Philippines since the start of the pandemic surpassed 3 million on Tuesday, when the Department of Health reported more than 28,000 new cases of COVID-19. The death toll was 52,511.