IATF urged to allow vaccinated seniors outside, to eat at restaurants

A lawyer and senior citizens' rights advocate on Monday urged the government's COVID-19 response task force to exempt vaccinated senior citizens from the strict lockdown restrictions.

Interviewed by Ivan Mayrina on "24 Oras," Attorney Romy Macalintal said the government might also give indoor dining privileges to seniors who received COVID-19 jabs.

"'Yung mga vaccinated senior citizens mapagbigyan ng ilang special privilege. Halimbawa, sa dine-in kung sinasabi nating 10% ang capacity, gawin nating 25%. Yung 15%, para sa seniors na vaccinated," Macalintal said.

(Vaccinated seniors should get special privileges such as dining in restaurants. Amend the 10% capacity limit, make it 25%, with 15% for vaccinated seniors.)

While some seniors have fears about vaccination, Macalintal said special privileges for inoculated seniors will increase vaccine confidence.

However, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said seniors should remain in their homes regardless if they are vaccinated.

"Hindi assurance na iyong pagbabakuna ay hindi na makapanghawa," said Vergaire in a DOH press briefing.

(Vaccination is not an assurance that you will not infect other people.)

Senior citizens belong to the A2 category on the government's vaccination priority list.

According to May 1 data from the DOH, 16.86% or 278,183 senior citizens out of 1,650,318 received their first dose of the vaccine for COVID-19.

The GMA News Research Team found that 135,701 senior citizens had fallen ill from the virus, which is 13% of the country's total COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, 10,932 out of 17,276 total COVID-19 deaths in the country were senior citizens. — Consuelo Marquez/DVM, GMA News