A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Sunday said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) must issue new guidelines to finally allow vaccinated individuals including senior citizens to be exempted from lockdowns and strict social distancing and health protocols.

Ang Probinsyano Rep. Ronnie Ong said business establishments such as restaurants, malls, hotels, resorts and those in the tourism sector should also ease up on restrictions for people who are already deemed protected from the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).

Ong said this is to allow businesses that were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic to bounce back and at the same time encourage more people to get vaccinated.

With the increasing number of people who have already been vaccinated, Ong said the IATF must update its prevailing guidelines on social distancing and health protocols, including the capacity requirement on malls, restaurants, hotels, resorts and other establishments.

For example, Ong said the IATF can start allowing dine-in and allow 100 percent capacity on restaurants for customers and guests who are already vaccinated.

They can set aside areas that are exclusive for customers who already had their COVID-19 jabs, Ong said.

However, Ong noted that face masks can still be required but the face shield can already be discarded.

“With all these vaccinations going on, I think that the government should try to review our existing health and safety protocols and consider easing up its rules on people who have already been vaccinated. We have to jumpstart our economy and allow our businesses to recover their losses,” Ong said.

“At the same time, we will be able to entice more people to get themselves vaccinated. Even those who are having second thoughts to be vaccinated would definitely get a jab if they want to enjoy the same privileges as those who were already vaccinated,” he added.

Ong also recommended that senior citizens who were previously restricted to their homes should now be allowed to go out, dine in their favorite restaurants, shop on malls or even go back to work provided they were already vaccinated.

He said that vaccinated seniors are already supposed to be protected from the dreaded COVID-19 and therefore quarantine restrictions should already be lifted so that “they can still enjoy life while they can.”

Ong also recommended that the IATF should have database which can be easily used to cross-reference the vaccination cards of those who claim to have already been vaccinated.

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Ryan Ponce Pacpaco