More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
Bohol province will stop requiring COVID-19 vaccination cards for most inbound travelers, its governor said in an order released on Thursday.
"The presentation of COVID-19 vaccination cards or certificate of vaccination for travelers entering Bohol will no longer be required for asymptomatic individuals," Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado said in an executive order signed on Wednesday.
However, inbound travelers with COVID-19 symptoms will still be required to present a vaccination card for entry. If this is unavailable, they will be advised to seek medical intervention and disclose personal information for contact-tracing, the order said.
The order "shall take effect immediately," said the governor.
"Relaxing the entry protocol to Bohol is one way of stimulating the local economy and start the march to economic recovery," Aumentado said, adding that COVID-19 cases are "no longer as high" as they were at the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the vaccination drive will be "intensified in all levels of the local government units in Bohol," according to his order.
In fact the government is looking to ease border restrictions for foreigners. Experts say if that happened a surge would be unlikely.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/09/22/2211335/new-covid-19-surge-unlikely-amid-eased-border-restrictions |
Another surge in COVID-19 cases is unlikely even if the government eases the country’s border restrictions for foreign travelers.
For University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Emergency Medicine chair Dr. Ted Herbosa, the easing of border restrictions may pose risks, but strict compliance with minimum public health standards could prevent COVID transmission.
“There are, indeed, risks if we ease border restrictions; other COVID variants might enter, and if you haven’t been infected by that particular variant, there’s a chance that you can really be infected,” Herbosa said in Filipino and English during the Laging Handa public briefing yesterday.
“But if you are vaccinated, perhaps, if you get infected, you could have very mild symptoms because that’s the promise of vaccination. And if we will wear face mask, there won’t be another COVID outbreak in the country even if we ease border restrictions,” he added.
The government is looking into the possibility of easing the country’s border restrictions and allowing the entry of all foreigners while the task of verifying the travelers’ medical status will be given to airline companies, according to the health expert.
Emphasizing that the country is still nowhere near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious diseases expert Dr. Rontgene Solante has warned the public against the possible emergence of a more virulent variant of the infectious illness.
In an interview with “The Chiefs” aired on Cignal TV’s One News last Tuesday night, Solante advised the public to stay vigilant because the pandemic is far from over.
“We are not yet off the hook, even (if) cases are going down, there are still people who die of COVID,” he said.
People are still dying of COVID? Also week we were told it was an average of 3 per day. How is that a cause for concern? And what are the stats on those deaths? Vaccinated? Unvaccinated? Half-vaccinated? Boosted? Old? Young? Comorbidities?? Those statistics are relevant and important and they are always omitted.
The founder of Go Negosyo says the Philippines is now entering the "phase of acceptance."
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/09/23/2211594/philippines-enters-phase-acceptance-pandemic-concepcion |
Filipinos continue to learn to live with the COVID-19 virus as the country enters a phase of acceptance in the pandemic, Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said.
In a statement yesterday, Concepcion said the Philippines is entering a “phase of acceptance” in the COVID-19 pandemic, where people are aware of the risks but are learning to manage them.
“I believe it has started and that we will have to live with the risks of the virus still being around,” he said.
Infectious disease expert Benjamin Co said that the country cannot wait for everyone to decide on his or her personal health.
“We cannot protect everyone all the time. I guess we have already provided everyone with the tools to prevent, diagnose and treat Covid-19. The next move is ours on an individual basis,” said the OCTA Research fellow.
Co further explained that it may appear that SARS-CoV-2 cases are going down globally, but that it is not because there are fewer people getting infected, but because people are not testing as frequently as before and prefer to move on in spite of the pandemic.
The infectious disease expert further likened the pandemic to the stages of grief – anger, denial, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
“The sixth stage is the final journey after acceptance – finding meaning,” Co said.
He acknowledged the difficulty in returning to how things were before the pandemic. “We will never be the same anytime soon. Yet we need to be,” he said.
Gee, I don't know for sure but I am pretty sure the people have learned to live not only with COVID but with the unnecessary restrictions imposed by the government within the first week of the first lockdown. It's really the government who is finally learning to live with the virus as seen by the mandatory face mask ordinance being dropped.
The vaccine program remains in full swing. Seniors in Angeles City who get injected with the experimental goo will get 5 kilos of rice.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1669650/5-kilos-of-rice-free-for-angeles-city-seniors-who-get-covid-19-vaccine |
In a bid to ramp up its vaccination program against COVID-19, the city government here announced on Friday that senior citizens who will have themselves vaccinated will also get 5 kilos of rice for free.
“To encourage more people to be vaccinated, resident senior citizens who will receive first dose of vaccines against COVID-19 will get five kilos of rice,” an emailed statement from the city government said.
The city government told Inquirer the “vaccine-to-rice” program will be held at the legislative building of the city hall from Sept. 26 to 29.
Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. said the program is a form of reward to encourage the elderly to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
(The vaccine is our only protection against the virus, so we are encouraging our senior citizens to get vaccinated.)
If "the vaccine is our only protection against the virus" then get rid of the face mask ordinance completely. Get rid of social distancing completely. But they won't do that because the government does not really believe "the vaccine is our only protection against the virus." Vaccinated people do die despite and because of receiving the vaccine.
Zamboanga City is also offering this same deal of 5 kilos of rice in exchange for getting a booster shot.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184626 |
To encourage more people to get vaccine boosters during the weeklong "national vaccination days," Mayor John Dalipe announced Monday that each booster vaccinee will receive five kilos of rice as an incentive.
Dalipe announced this during the launching of the Sept. 26 – 30 “Bakunahang Bayan: PinasLakas Special Vaccination Days here at the Southern City Colleges.
The local government has allocated rice for the 16 health districts for distribution to booster vaccines during the special national vaccination days, the mayor said.
Dalipe urged residents to “continue to safeguard one another by encouraging our friends, family, and relatives to get the shots” for added protection against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Remember, that 5 kilos of rice will be gone within a week but the after effects of the experimental vaccine will last forever.
Commuters in areas with Alert Level 1 are now allowed to stand on buses and jeepnies.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1670959/standing-allowed-once-again-in-buses-e-jeeps |
Commuters can once again put up with standing during their commute, after public utility vehicles (PUVs) have been allowed once more to accommodate passengers beyond their seating capacity.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Monday issued Memorandum Circular No. 2022-070, which brought back, starting that day, the practice among PUVs with seats already fully occupied to allow more passengers and have them stand on the aisles.
This was effectively discouraged by the rule of physical distancing at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But since the pandemic isn’t over, the circular still imposes certain limits on allowing standing commuters in PUVs.
For “low-entry/low-floor” buses, only a maximum of 15 standing passengers will be allowed and they must be “at least one person apart,” the circular said.
For coach-type buses, only 10 standing passengers are allowed and they must maintain the same social distancing rule.
Modern e-jeepneys can only accommodate up to five standing passengers.
The LTFRB said “existing policies on minimum public health protocols inside PUVs shall be strictly observed at all times.”
Thus, failure to comply with the circular will be deemed a violation subject to penalties stipulated in Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01, which includes suspension or revocation of a PUV’s license.
But commuters are only too familiar with these rules, as opposed to the realities on the ground. INQ
Does commuters knowing the realities on the ground mean these rules aren't enforced? Another rule that has been lifted pertains to OFWs traveling to their destination.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/09/25/2212006/wearing-ppes-no-longer-required-traveling-ofws |
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has issued an advisory against requirements of certain agencies for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) while traveling to their country of destination.
The advisory, issued by POEA officer-in-charge Bernard Olalia last Friday, was in compliance with a directive from Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople.
Ople, who is in New York as part of the presidential delegation to the United Nations General Assembly, said the wearing of PPEs is not sanctioned by the department and the POEA.
“I agree with the sentiments of Sen. Pia Cayetano and other legislators that the PPE requirement for departing OFWs is outdated, misguided and oppressive. I regret not having issued this order much earlier to spare our OFWs the discomfort of going to the airport in full PPE attire,” she said in a statement.
In the POEA Advisory No. 62 Series of 2022, Olalia reminded recruitment agencies not to make the wearing of PPEs a requirement for OFWs as they travel “whether in Philippine airports or in the countries of destination.”
“Asking our OFWs to wear PPEs at this time is like asking surfers to wear ballgowns – it’s cumbersome, awkward and extremely peculiar,” Ople added.
It was learned that a manning agency’s Japanese principal had required the wearing of PPEs and masks for Filipino crew bound for Japan since the COVID-19 virus is still prevalent in that country.
A Chinese shipping vessel also requires its local manning agency to supply PPEs to embarking crew to prevent infection during travel, with the cost of the PPEs shouldered by the employer.
But Ople said: “The DMW firmly believes that having vaccines plus booster shots and wearing face masks provide sufficient protection to our overseas workers. Until otherwise recommended by our health officials, the POEA advisory against mandatory wearing of PPEs for our OFWs by their respective recruitment and manning agencies shall remain in force.”
This article does not describe exactly what kind of PPE's OFWs were being forced to wear but it sounds like they were fully suited up.
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