PDU30 rejects limited face-to-face classes anew due to Delta COVID-19 variant
By Nidz Godino
“Dito sa face-to-face classes, I think I am not inclined to agree with you… I’m sorry but it’s hard…I cannot gamble on the health of children,” President Rodrigo Duterte told Education Secretary Leonor Briones during pandemic task force meeting “w]e might differ in our opinions about the matter but for as long as there is really no vaccination for all.
President Duterte again thumbed down the Department of Education’s proposal to hold pilot face-to-face classes, citing presence of more contagious COVID-19 Delta variant and the need to vaccinate majority of population.
The president in December last year, 2020 suspended approval of the same proposal due to presence of COVID-19 variant first seen in the United Kingdom, now referred to as Alpha variant.
Briones shortly after withdrew her department’s request for face-to-face classes, telling President Duterte that she fully accepted his decision.
The Delta variant of coronavirus was first identified in India. World Health Organization said it is becoming globally dominant variant of COVID-19.
As of Monday, local health authorities have detected 17 cases of Delta variant in the country.
Since Philippines began its inoculation campaign three months ago, it has administered 8,050,711 doses of COVID-19 jab, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Sunday. Of these, only 2,096,901 have received both doses needed for full vaccination.
The figure represents only 1.9% of the population, remaining far from 50 to 70 million targeted by officials this year to reach herd immunity.
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