CEBU CITY – More teachers and non-teaching personnel in Region 7 (Central Visayas) have submitted themselves for inoculation against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the area’s top education official said on Wednesday.

In an interview, Salustiano Jimenez, Department of Education (DepEd) Region 7 director, said they are happy to see mentors and support personnel joining the queue in some inoculation sites established by the local government units (LGUs) although they did not force them to be vaccinated.

Jimenez said at least 40 percent of their personnel have already been fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

Although classes are being held through blended learning modalities and most of the teacher-learner interaction is remotely done, Jimenez said teachers felt that getting the vaccine is a duty.

“Although vaccination is not a requirement even in the limited face-to-face classes as approved by our President, but it somehow works as a protection for our teachers, wherever they may be,” he said.

DepEd-7 has 82,000 personnel spread throughout the 19 school divisions in the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, and more than 78,000 of them are in the teaching positions.

Meanwhile, Jimenez said DepEd-7 supports the call of the Department of Health (DOH)-7 to LGUs here to start master-listing children aged 12 to 17 for inoculation against Covid-19.

He said this will give the minors protection against the virus and get them ready once the national government decides to fully open the education sector under the new normal.

Jimenez said 12 schools in low-risk areas in the region are now ready to conduct limited in-school classes. (PNA)