CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – City Mayor Oscar Moreno, in an online briefer Saturday, said he would rather continue requiring the public to show their coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination cards when entering shopping malls.
The city’s top official made the statement when asked if he was in favor of the pronouncement of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to allow people in areas under Alert Level 1 to enter malls even without Covid-19 vaccination cards.
“To be very honest about it, I would still prefer to require the vaccination card because the vaccination is not just for themselves but also for their loved ones," Moreno said in the vernacular.
In his previous statement, the mayor thought the implementation of the no vaccination card policy inside malls in areas under Alert Level 1 might affect the ongoing vaccination drive of the national government.
Despite the city being placed under Alert Level 1, Moreno assured the public that the local government continues to enforce safety protocols considering that other areas in the Northern Mindanao region are still under Alert Level 2.
“If we are talking about safety, we have to remember the saying that no one is safe unless everybody is safe,” he added.
The city and Camiguin province are the only areas in Region 10 that are currently under Alert Level 1 from March 1 until March 15 this year.
The provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Iligan City are still under Alert Level 2.
DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya earlier clarified that vaccination cards would still be required in establishments considered as 3Cs (closed, crowded, closed-contact) areas.
Malaya also said there is nothing wrong if the malls in the Alert Level 1 areas are still requiring vaccination cards.
As of March 4, the city has already recorded 533,870 fully vaccinated individuals. This is equivalent to 88.98 percent of the city’s total target population of 599,929.
Of the fully vaccinated, 103,778 individuals or 19.80 percent from the target population already received their booster shots; while 23,147 other individuals have been administered their first dose of the vaccine.
In addition, Dr. Ted Yu Jr., medical officer of the City Health Office (CHO) here, said they have not yet received the memorandum from the DILG regarding the said policy. (PNA)
