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Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday said fully vaccinated senior citizens allowed to go out of their homes and visit malls in areas under COVID-19 Alert 3.

Roque said the elderly in areas under Alert 3 can go out even for non-essential activities as an “incentive” for getting vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

He issue the clarification following reports that some establishments denied seniors entry when Metro Manila shifted to Alert 3 over the weekend

“Hindi po natin binabawi iyong incentive na binigay natin sa seniors, kapag sila ay vaccinated, pupuwede po silang pumunta sa mga malls at pupuwede silang lumabas ng bahay,” Roque said.

“Ang hindi natin ina-allow pa ngayon ay iyong mga menor de edad na magpunta sa mga malls kasi hindi sila bakunado po, unlike the senior citizens na posibleng bakunado na sila,” He added

Seniors, he said, must bring their proof of vaccination when visiting malls. 

The Philippines has confirmed some 2.7 million overall coronavirus infections, among the highest in Asia. It has fully vaccinated 24 million of its 109 million population so far. 

Several areas on Wednesday will shift to the COVID-19 alert system that government first tested in Metro Manila in a bid to curb infections and spur business activity.