The Philippine government has announced that all people who work in the tourism industry must receive a Covid-19 vaccination by the end of the year.
According to Inside Asian Gaming, the requirements applies to some 5 million people nationwide, including hotel and casino staff, restaurant employees plus drivers and airport workers, among others.
At a recent tourism event in Cebu, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., head of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said the return of tourism is essential to the country’s economic recovery.
“When the pandemic struck, the nation’s tourism sector took a major hit. We believe that in order for the industry to get back on its feet and safely open our economy, we need to vaccinate as many members of our workforce as possible,” he said.
On Cebu specifically, Galvez said, “By providing our workers here in Cebu with an extra layer of protection against the virus, they will have more confidence to return to their jobs, which in turn shall encourage tourism operators to increase their operational capacity and result in an economic revival here in the province.”
The Philippines recorded 20,755 new cases of Covid-19 on a single day, September 26, the first time in over a week that the daily figure exceeded 20,000.
