Philippine passports
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advised the public on Wednesday that those not vaccinated against COVID-19, including minors, will not be accommodated in its consular offices and off-site passport services located inside Alert Level 3 shopping malls.
In an advisory, the DFA said the restrictions on the entry of unvaccinated individuals were imposed by shopping malls hosting its consular offices and Temporary Off-Site Passport Services (TOPS).
鈥淭he [DFA]鈥nforms the public that its Consular Offices (COs) and [TOPS] located in malls in areas where at least Alert Level 3 is raised will not be able to accommodate unvaccinated individuals, including minors, due to the restrictions imposed by their host malls barring the entry of unvaccinated persons,鈥� the DFA said.
鈥淐onsular Offices are unable to override the host malls鈥� security and health protocols,鈥� it added.
The DFA advised unvaccinated applicants, including minors, to first check the regulations of the relevant malls before proceeding to their appointments
Affected applicants may also have their appointments rescheduled after having been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or 鈥渁fter malls and local government units have lifted the entry restriction on unvaccinated persons.鈥�
鈥淭he Department requests the public鈥檚 cooperation as it strives to deliver passport services to the public while ensuring the public鈥檚 safety and health amidst the ongoing pandemic,鈥� the DFA said.
The national government earlier placed聽Metro Manila under the stricter Alert Level 3聽until January 15 amid the 鈥渆xponential鈥� spike of COVID-19 cases in the region.
The provinces of聽Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal聽were also placed under Alert Level 3 starting Wednesday, January 5. The heightened alert status in the three provinces will be imposed until January 15.
The rest of the country, meanwhile, is currently under Alert Level 2.