Malls bar unvaxxed passport seekers
Amid the steep rise in COVID-19 cases in the past days, he Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) through the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA), yesterday informed the public that its Consular Offices (COs) and Temporary Off-Site Passport Services (TOPS) located in malls in areas where at least Alert Level 3 is raised will not be able to accommodate unvaccinated individuals, including minors, due to the restrictions imposed by their host malls barring the entry of unvaccinated persons.
Consular Offices are unable to override the host malls’ security and health protocols, the DFA said.
The Department advised unvaccinated applicants, including minors, to first check the regulations of the relevant malls before proceeding to their appointments or have their appointments rescheduled after having been fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 or after malls and local government units have lifted the entry restriction on unvaccinated persons.
In a related development, the DFA advised the public of the temporary suspension of operations of its consular service sites in Robinsons Lipa, Robinsons Magnolia and SM Manila as part of the Department’s precautionary measures against the spread of COVID-19 amid the steep rise in cases in January 2022.
CO Lipa, located at 2nd Floor Robinsons Place Lipa, JP Laurel Highway, Mataas na Lupa, Lipa City, Batangas, has temporarily halted its operations from 4 January 2022 until further notice for disinfection of its premises.
Affected applicants have been contacted by CO Lipa via [email protected]. Applicants may likewise contact the CO for urgent concerns via email.
Temporary Off-Site Passport Services Robinsons Magnolia, located at 4th floor, New Wing Building (beside Timezone), Robinson’s Magnolia, Quezon City, was temporarily closed on 5 January 2022. Affected applicants may proceed to TOPS Magnolia on 6 January 2022 and from 10 to 14 January 2022, 1:00-4:00 PM, for their rescheduled appointments. For concerns, applicants may contact supervising CO NCR Northeast through [email protected].
Operations of CO NCR West, located at 5th Floor SM City Manila Concepcion St. cor. Arroceros St. and San Marcelino St., Manila, are suspended from 06-07 January 2022 after its personnel were identified as close contacts of a positive case.
Affected applicants shall receive an email from [email protected] regarding their new schedule. Applicants may likewise contact the CO for urgent concerns via email.
The Department requests the public’s cooperation as it strives to deliver passport services to the public while ensuring the public’ and its personnel’s safety and health amidst the ongoing pandemic.
