Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte empowered the municipal police to arrest those unvaccinated against COVID-19 who violate confinement decreed in Manila by the outbreak of the virus.
“I order the captains of the ‘bagangay’ (neighborhood) to look for those people who are not vaccinated and ask or order them to stay home. And if they refuse and go out and hang out in the community, they can be detained. If they refuse, (the police) have the power to arrest them, “Duterte said in a televised speech last night.
New restrictions in Manila
Since Monday, the municipal authority of Manila imposed new measures that include limit the mobility of the unvaccinated against COVID-19 due to the increase in infections by the new Omicron variant, which a day later were extended to some of the provinces annexed to the capital.
Under these restrictions, the unvaccinated cannot go outside, except to buy basic necessities, go to the hospital or work, although in that case they will have to undergo a PCR test every two weeks that they must pay for themselves.
Face-to-face classes, sports that require physical contact, the closure of casinos and fairs and the limitation of capacity in restaurants and other venues to between 30 and 50 percent are also prohibited.
The Philippines registers a rapid increase in infections, linked in part to the Omicron variant, and since January 1 the cases have jumped from about 3,000 last Saturday to more than 17,000 registered on Thursday.
The archipelago, which suffered two serious waves of COVID-19 last April and September, accumulates 2.89 million infections, including more than 51,740 deaths.
According to data from Our World in Data, the Philippine authorities have vaccinated with the complete schedule to more than 43 percent of its population.
Source: EFE
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