Baguio to vaccinate 4,000 tourism workers

24 August 2021 – The city government, in coordination with the Baguio Tourism Council (BTC), will vaccinate some 4,000 workers from various tourism-related establishments from August 30 to September 1, 2021, as part of the local government’s aggressive roll-out of the government’s mass vaccination program.

The inoculation of the workers in the tourism-related establishments is part of the commitment of the city government to have the workers in the economic sector vaccinated with vaccines purchased by both the national and local governments from pharmaceutical companies.

Earlier, the local tourism industry stakeholders disclosed that only 454 or 8.3 percent of the registered 5,458 workers in the different tourism-related establishments had been vaccinated since the roll-out of the government’s mass vaccination program last March.

Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong tasked the City Health Services Office (CHSO) and the City Tourism Office to coordinate with the management of the Baguio Country Club (BCC) for the proposed adjustment in the schedule of the inoculation of the workers in the tourism-related establishments so that it will coincide with the presence of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat.

The supposed inoculation of the workers in the tourism-related establishments in the city was earlier scheduled on August 29-31, 2021 at the Cordillera Convention Hall of BCC but this was adjusted for Secretary Puyat to witness the activity which is geared towards helping gradually and safely revive the local economy.

The local government is eyeing Secretary Puyat as the city’s guest of honor and speaker in the celebration of the 112th Charter Day anniversary of the country’s undisputed Summer Capital during the simple blended program that will be held at the Baguio Convention Center.

The city is currently conducting the vaccination in various vaccination centers established in strategic areas for members of the priority sectors, including workers in the economic sectors, aside from mobile vaccination for senior citizens who are not able to go out of their respective residences as part of its commitment for the realization of the desired population protection and eventual herd immunity.

The local chief executive urged the health workers to strategize how to speed up the ongoing vaccination of the members of the priority sectors in the race against time so that a greater portion of the population will be inoculated at the soonest possible time while there are still available vaccines from the national government, apart from those that were procured by the private sector and the local government.

The data on the number of tourism workers that were vaccinated was taken from the registered tourism-related establishments in the city which were previously issued the required certificate of accreditation or certificate of compliance by the tourism department and the local government. – Dexter A. See