MAYOR Danilo Diamante of Tuburan, Cebu is in favor of “bakuna bubble” but stressed that before it is implemented, the public should be given enough time to decide whether to get vaccinated and there should be enough supplies of Covid-19 vaccines.
“Bakuna bubble” is an initiative of the Cebu City Government under Executive Order 142 that refers to the privileges given to vaccinated individuals in the city, such as allowing them to dine indoors, access to services in salons and spas, and entry to indoor sports venues and indoor tourist attractions. It is being implemented in Cebu City.
Diamante said the people should be given enough time to decide on whether to get vaccinated or not, and before its implementation in other areas, there should be enough vaccine supplies distributed to local government units (LGUs), stressing that small towns like Tuburan have limited vaccine supply and only depend on the number of vaccines allocated by the Department of Health (DOH).
He said the Covid-19 vaccination campaign must also be intensified in LGUs and various stakeholders to encourage more and more individuals to get vaccinated regardless of the vaccine brand.
"Sa akong nahibaw-an nga kining mga restaurants nga dili modawat kung way vaccine card, para nako okay mana siya, pero dapat di ingon nga outright. Dapat naay two months before nagkampanya na, at least pang-ingganyo sa mga kaigsuonan nga magpa-vaccine sila,” he said.
“Ug naa tay i-implement deretso, luoy baya kaayo ang mahinayak. I-advertise, kanunay’ng pagpasabot, at least ma-aware ang katawhan kay luoy baya kaayo ang naay tuyo nya wala kasulod," he added.
Tuburan is one of LGUs in Cebu that have asked for more vaccine supply from the DOH central office.
Diamante said more residents of Tuburan have wanted to get vaccinated, but the vaccine supply is limited.
He said other mayors in Cebu Province have expressed the same concerns during their meeting with DOH officials in July this year.
"Actually sa previous pa namung meeting last July, tanang mayor nag-request na sa DOH. Hapit na motyabaw ang ubang mayor, daghang magpa-vaccine walay bakuna. Kami mag-agad ra man gihapon mi sa DOH og unsay ipanghatag. Pero among paninguhaon sa supply nga ihatag sa amoa amo gyud nang magamit,” he said.
As of September 15, 2,400 individuals in Tuburan were fully vaccinated, while 2,000 have received their first dose. Tuburan has a total population of 80,000.
Meanwhile, Diamante confirmed that Covid-19 cases in the town continued to decrease since last week of August.
As of September 14, Tuburan logged a total of 19 active Covid-19 cases.
Diamante said the immediate isolation of coronavirus-positive residents and the stay-at-home policy imposed on individuals with flu-like symptoms have helped in curbing the Covid-19 cases in town.
He said he ordered the village officials to regularly go around the barangays since middle of August to implement the stay-at-home policy to suspected Covid-19 cases.
The Municipal Government has also been implementing the immediate home isolation of residents with Covid-19 symptoms and these individuals have been given food, vitamins and medicines. They are also monitored by the municipal health office personnel, said Diamante.
The mayor thanked the barangay officials and health workers for their help, and asked his constituents to inform the barangay officials in case they experience flu-like symptoms to prevent the spread of coronavirus. (MVE)