Cebu City biz leaders back ‘no vaccination, no entry’ rule

STOCK PHOTO | Inquirer File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Leaders of Cebu’s business community expressed support for the city government’s decision to require vaccination cards upon entry into indoor spaces.

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), in a statement issued on January 25, 2022, said the ‘no vaccination, no entry’ policy being implemented in the city is important in reducing the transmission of COVID-19 amid threats of the Omicron variant. 

“Today, as we are in the middle of the OMICRON surge, the ‘No Vaccine, No Entry’ policy of the government is a serious precautionary measure our business establishments need to observe to lessen the transmission and mutation of COVID-19,” CCCI President Felix Taguiam said. 

“While striking a balance between life and livelihood is imperative, we must remember that the ultimate goal of all our COVID-19 response is to put an end to this pandemic because prolonging it will only cause more suffering to people and damage to business enterprises and the economy. Therefore, all measures to deter the spread of the virus should be our top priority,” he added. 

A copy of the statement was published on the official website of Cebu City’s Public Information Office (PIO).

Taguiam also pointed to recent findings from the Department of Health (DOH) and Project Balik Buhay (PBB) that showed unvaccinated individuals make up most of the recent COVID-19 admissions and mortalities. 

“As of January 23, private hospitals in Cebu have now recorded a running total of 43 COVID-19 deaths for the month of January, while public hospitals have recorded 77 deaths, bringing the total running number of deaths to 120. Remarkably, 81.7 percent (98) of these COVID-19 deaths recorded were either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated,” said Taguiam. 

The CCCI official also urged its members to comply with the city’s newest mandate, and continue to observe minimum health standards. 

“CCCI will always support policies that are aimed to curtail the spread of COVID-19 virus, grounded sternly on strong scientific evidence and medical experts’ advice… We all have our roles to play in ending this pandemic, and we must act now and do our part before it gets the better of us time and time again,” Taguiam pointed out. 

CCCI is Cebu’s largest business-oriented organization. With over 1,000 members, it is the second largest business group in the country, next to the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI). 

To recall, Mayor Michael Rama imposed a ‘no vaccination card, no entry’ rule for enclosed establishments as part of the city’s precautionary measures against COVID-19 under Alert Level 3.

/bmjo

RELATED STORIES

In Cebu City, vax cards required to enter indoor spaces

Gwen to mayors: Vax cards are not mandatory