‘No vaccination, no climbing’: Limits on public transport in Manila | Coronavirus Plague News

The policy applies to domestic commissions to and from Metro Manila, but critics say the law is discriminatory.

The Philippine government has banned non-vaccinated people in the capital Manila and surrounding areas from taking public transportation due to the high incidence of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron brand.

In a law published Wednesday, the country’s secretary for transportation, Arthur Tugade, stated that the “no vaccine, no bus fare” policy applies to domestic commissions to and from Metro Manila.

Public transport operators, including land, air and sea, “allow the opportunity to obtain or issue tickets for people with adequate immunizations”, and travelers are required to provide proof of their vaccine status.

The law added that people were considered completely vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks after receiving the standard dose.

In the past, the mayors of Metro Manila have agreed to reduce the flow of undocumented migrants to the capital, as well as to ban entry into shopping malls and other facilities, although some legal experts doubt the rules.

President Rodrigo Duterte later criticized ordered that the unarmed men be arrested who will break the rules of stay at home in order to curb the spread of the virus, sparking new criminal cases since the beginning of the year.

As of January 10, an estimated 52.86 million Filipinos had received adequate vaccination, according to the government, which is 48 percent of the country’s 110 million people.

On Tuesday, the Philippines reported 28,007 new cases of COVID, slightly lower than on Monday that violated 33,000 new cases.

‘Illegal, useless’

A new law from the Department of Transportation says any violation “will be considered a violation of health and safety laws” enacted in the country since the epidemic.

There are other things that they are not allowed to call, including people with a disease that cannot get vaccinated and people who are given by their families to buy essential items outside their home.

However, the law has met with strong opposition. In his remarks, the leader of the opposition and freedom group Renato Reyes called it “illegal and baseless”.

DoTr’s statement “no vaccination, public mobilization” is illegal and absurd. Only 48% of people are vaccinated. Half the people will not be allowed to move now? What about the people going to their shots? Looking to travel?

– Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) January 12, 2022

“Half the people are not allowed to move now? What about the people going to their shots? Are they waiting to leave ?, ”he wrote on social media.

The AltMobility PH movement advocacy group questioned the rule, saying it was racist.

He said: “You discriminate against people on the bus. “What about those in private cars? How can they be allowed to go around the city without a check, “group manager Ira Cruz was quoted as saying by ABS-CBN.

“Is it easy for people to get vaccinated? “We still hear stories of people living full-time at vaccinations,” Cruz said.

Since the epidemic in the Philippines in 2020, Duterte has introduced methods that critics suspect are too restrictive and not based too much on science.

Duterte has previously threatened to arrest those who violate the country’s bans, and warned those who refused to receive a vaccine to go to prison amidst the Delta genocide last year.

When the government first opened its doors in April 2020, Duterte warned that he would order police and soldiers in the country. shoot everyone “who causes trouble”.