HINIHINTAY ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) ang tugon ng United Kingdom (UK) sa mungkahi nitong probisyon ng coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.
Ito’y matapos humiling ang UK sa bansa ng exemption mula sa deployment cap ng mga Pilipinong healthcare worker (HCW).
Inaasahan naman sa loob ng sampung araw ang tugon ng UK government sa nasabing isyu.
“I told them for me to be able to recommend it to the IATF, I have to be assured of the safety of our workers. The only way we can be assured about the safety of our OFWs is the vaccine,” pahayag ni Bello.
Sinabi ni Bello na nais ng UK na makapagpadala ng COVID-19 vaccines sa bansa para sa immunization ng mga nurse bago ang mga ito mai-deploy.
“For us to be able to send our medical workers, we want to ensure that they are safe and their health is secured. We don’t have the vaccine, if they want, they can send us,” dagdag pa ni Bello.
Hinihiling ng bansa na magbigay ang UK at Germany ng COVID-19 vaccines para sa mga OFW bilang bahagi ng kasunduan na may kaugnayan sa deployment ng health service workers partikular na ang mga nurse.
Samantala, naunawaan naman ni DOLE Secretary Bello ang naging reaksyon ng publiko sa isyu kaugnay sa pag-deploy ng mga healthcare worker kapalit ng COVID-19 vaccine.
“They thought I would barter our nurses with the vaccine. I just hope that before they accuse me, they should have asked me first and look at what really happened. They just criticized and what they are saying is not true,” aniya pa.
