QC welcomes inoculation incentives

The Quezon City (QC) government is encouraging business establishments to offer discounts and incentives to residents who get vaccinated.

The city has even expressed gratitude to the private sector for finding ways to support city programs, particularly the QC Protektodo vaccination rollout.

“You continue to impress us because even though your businesses are going through a severe test, you are still reaching out to our countrymen. In return, we vow to support your incentives for immunity all the way,” the city government said.

It cited the Ingat-Angat Bakuna Benefits program, where over 150 participating restaurants are offering exclusive discounts to people who have been fully inoculated and can present their vaccination cards as proof.

As of 6 June, a total of 333,773 individuals belonging to the A1 to A3 priority groups have already received the first dose of their Covid vaccine. This is 19.63 percent of the 1.7 million target population needed to achieve herd immunity or population protection.

According to Joseph Juico, head of Task Force Vax to Normal, the local government is now gearing up to vaccinate the A4 priority group, which comprises economic frontliners living or working in the city.

“We are currently ironing out our strategies to make sure that we will be able to inoculate all workers belonging to this group, from vendors to those in the transport sector as well as government, employees of MSME’s and big business, and employees of the city’s 67,000 strong IT-BPO sector,” Juico said.

He said the city’s plans include rolling out mobile vaccination trucks and buses, increasing the number of vaccine drive-throughs, and extending vaccination hours up to late at night so workers need not have to absent themselves from the office or reduce their work hours in order to get inoculated.