The local government here on Tuesday clarified that the “no vaccine, no entry” policy in some commercial and government establishments is based on the guidelines set by the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

The city government will stand by the IATF policies, Mayor Oscar Moreno told religious leaders who oppose mandatory vaccination against Covid-19.

“The IATF made it clear that pastors, priests, and church workers should get themselves vaccinated. There are religious leaders who believed I set [that policy] but I told them that it’s not my directive but it’s a national government mandate,” he said in his daily online briefing.

Moreno issued the clarification after Saturday’s rally staged by religious groups that are against a mandatory vaccination policy.

Moreno said he had no problem with their rally but he reminded the religious groups to strictly comply with minimum public health standards like physical distancing and wearing of face masks.

The IATF gave businesses and employers the right to refuse entry to unvaccinated individuals.

The city, with 202 active Covid-19 cases as of Monday, is under Alert Level 2 until November 30.

It aims to vaccinate 518,518 or 70 percent of its population.

As of November 15, a total of 274,719 are fully vaccinated, or 52.98 percent of the city’s goal. (PNA)