The Philippine government will prioritize the vaccination of athletes, coaches, and other delegates to the Tokyo Olympics and Southeast Asian Games, announced Malacañang on Friday, May 21.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) had approved the recommendation to the Interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group to provide this prioritization.

Vaccinations of medical frontliners, elderly, and persons with comorbidities are ongoing. The government aims to start vaccinating economic frontliners and indigent Filipinos after May.

The task force also allowed Olympics and SEA Games athletes to start their “bubble-type training” and to follow guidelines set forth by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Games and Amusement Board, and Department of Health.

The Tokyo Olympics is set to take place in July while the SEA Games is slated for November.

Swimming National Selection Meet

The government has also allowed Philippine Swimming Incorporated to host the 2021 Swimming National Selection Meet, also through a bubble-type format.

It will be held at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac.

Delegates to the meet will be allowed to do interzonal travel for this purpose. – Rappler.com