
Malacañang clarified on Sunday that there will be no nationwide lockdown from December 23 this year to January 3, 2021, and that there will also be no face-to-face classes until a vaccine for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) becomes locally available.
The Palace made the clarification on the issue of a nationwide lockdown after text messages started spreading declaring such.
On face-to-face classes, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that President Rodrigo Duterte will still not allow that until a vaccine for Covid-19 becomes locally available. The government earlier said a Covid-19 vaccine will likely be available from the second week of 2021.
“Ang posisyon ng Presidente habang walang bakuna, walang face-to-face (The President’s stand is while there is no vaccine locally available, there will be no face-to-face classes),” Roque said.Earlier in the week, vaccine czar and pandemic response chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government was looking at proposals to allow face-to-face classes in medical schools. However, this is still being studied by the Palace. SOVEREIGNPH