Thu Jan 6, 2022 – 1:43 pm EST
MANILA, Philippines (LifeSiteNews) — Authorities in the Philippines have imposed a lockdown on unvaccinated citizens living in the metropolitan area of the country’s capital, Manila.
Government officials made the announcement Tuesday amid reports of rising cases of COVID in the island nation, said to have reached a new record of 4,984 new cases last month, 2,600 of which were in the metropolitan area of Manila, and despite the fact that close to 70% of the 14 million people located in Manila’s metropolitan area have already been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Under the new restrictions, those who have not yet received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be allowed to leave their homes except for “essential reasons” such as buying food, water, medicine or going to work. They will be barred from entering public transportation, as well as cafés, bars, restaurants, and shopping malls.
In addition, people working in offices will have to take a COVID test every two weeks at their own expenses. In the Philippines, these tests can cost up to $100 or more, according to RT.com.
The restrictions are said to remain in place until January 15, but this could change if the number of reported cases continues to rise.
Unvaccinated citizens who do not comply with the new rules could face a fine of up to $1,000, a jail
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