DOH: No distinction between the vaccinated, unvaccinated amid tightened restrictions

The tightened quarantine restrictions will apply to all individuals regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday after the Palace announced stricter rules for Metro Manila.

“There will be no distinction between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a briefing.

Vergeire said the government’s inter-agency COVID-19 task force acknowledged that the country’s vaccine supply remains scarce, “that’s why it is not the time yet para makapag-impose tayo ng ganitong regulasyon (to impose regulations like this).”

Metro Manila will be under general community quarantine with heightened and additional restrictions from July 31 to August 5, and under enhanced community quarantine from August 6 to 20 due to threat of the highly contagious Delta variant. 

Metro Manila mayors earlier urged stricter regulations for the capital region amid the threat of the new variant, provided that the national government would provide cash aid and four million additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines. 

Citing vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Vergeire said the country’s supply can meet the mayors’ demand for four million doses.

“Pero siyempre pag-uusapan pa rin (But of course that still has to be discussed) with all of the officials because we need to also provide vaccines to the other areas of the country,” she said.

Vergeire said discussions on the tightening of restrictions in Metro Manila also included projections made by modeling tool FASSSTER and data on the impact of lockdowns presented by the economic cluster. 

“Kaya po nagkaroon ng ganitong desisyon na magkaroon ng additional restrictions for this week, and in the coming weeks we will go into tightened restrictions, para lang po we can prevent the further spread and delay this pagtaas ng kaso sa ating bansa,” she said.

(That is why the decision was made to impose additional restrictions for this week, and in the coming weeks we will go into tightened restrictions, just so we can prevent the further spread and delay the increase of cases in our country.) — RSJ, GMA News