Unvaccinated employees shall be required to undergo regular RT-PCR testing, or antigen tests, at their own expense starting December 1, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday.

Roque said as part of the government's effort to further improve the vaccination rate in the country the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) approves measures to increase demand for COVID-19 vaccination.

"In areas where there are sufficient supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, COVID-19 vaccination of eligible employees tasked to do on-site work shall be required by all establishments and employers in the public and private sector," he said.

"However, eligible employees who remain to be unvaccinated may not be terminated but they shall be required to undergo regular RT-PCR testing, or antigen tests, at their own expense," he added.

Roque said "public transportation services in the road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors shall likewise require all their eligible workers to be fully vaccinated as a condition to continue their operations."

"Public and private establishments may validly refuse entry and/or deny service to individuals who remain to be unvaccinated, or are merely partially vaccinated, despite being eligible for vaccination. Frontline and emergency services, on the other hand, shall continue to render assistance to all persons, regardless of vaccination status," he said.

To ramp up demand for vaccination, Roque said the "local government units (LGUs) are strongly enjoined to issue orders or ordinances providing incentives for fully vaccinated individuals, and for business establishments to require proof of vaccination before individuals and/or entities may undertake or qualify for certain activities."

"Further, all workers to be vaccinated during work hours shall not be considered absent upon sufficient proof of a confirmed vaccination schedule. Accordingly, only the presentation of a medical clearance issued by a government health office, or birth certificate, as the case may be, shall serve as sufficient and valid proof of ineligibility for vaccination," he said.

"Moreover, all government agencies are enjoined to implement measures prioritizing fully vaccinated individuals availing of government programs and services," he added.

Roque said the IATF also approved the recommendation to allow group activities for fitness studios, gyms, and venues for non-contact exercise and sports in areas under Alert Level 2.

"The IATF also adopted the proposed guidelines for the limited face-to-face training and assessment program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)," he said.

"As such, TESDA is allowed to conduct training and assessment from 50 percent to 100 percent venue capacity, subject to minimum public health standards in areas under Alert Levels 4 to 1. On the other hand, no face-to-face activities shall be allowed under Alert Level 5," he added. Robina Asido/DMS