VP Sara: Commingling of vaccinated, unvaccinated learners amid pandemic not a problem

The commingling of children who are vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who are unvaccinated won't be problem once face-to-face classes resume on August 22, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said Thursday.

"We gave recommendation to the President and he approved it. What we said was there should be no segregation and discrimination for unvaccinated learners because our COVID-19 vaccination program is not mandatory," Duterte told reporters after a visit in San Beda College in Manila.

"We do not see any problem with commingling sa mga eskwelahan dahil paglabas naman nila sa eskwelahan ay commingling po lahat ng vaccinated at unvaccinated [sa COVID-19] sa mga bahay, sa mga malls, sa mga simbahan at sa mga private transportation. It should not be different sa loob ng ating mga eskwelahan," she added.

The Education chief, however, stressed that such policy is rooted on the fact that the COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory.

"It is a different matter altogether if our COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory," she said.

"But let us not talk about it because it is not mandatory," she added.

COVID-19 vaccines in the country are available for those aged 5 and above.

The in-person classes, however, will be combined with distance/online learning from August to October before the sector shifts to full on, five days a week face-to-face classes come November. 

Since COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, Duterte called on students' parents and guardians to get a COVID-19 vaccine and the corresponding booster.

"Our call to the families who live with individuals who are at high risk of getting COVID-19 and those with comorbidities to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and get a booster because they will be exposed and will have interaction with our learners who will go to school," she added

More than 70 million Filipinos are already fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but only around 21% of these already received a booster shot. — RSJ, GMA News