Contact sports will be allowed here again once 70 percent of the city’s population is already vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), a local official said on Monday.

Councilor Joel Garganera, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) chief, said the city will hold talks with the City Sports Commission, the Association of Barangay Council and Barangay Operations Center to set the guidelines for allowing contact sports in the 80 villages here.

He advised enthusiasts of contact sports such as basketball to help the city government achieve its desired population protection by enticing family members and friends to get vaccinated.

Based on record, 62 percent of the population here who are eligible for inoculation have already received their first dose.

“Imagine that, we are very near to the 70 percent desired population protection,” Garganera said, while pointing out that nearly one month is needed before those first-dose vaccinees could get their second dose.

The city is ramping up vigilance against Covid-19 now that Christmas is fast approaching and many social gatherings will occur, the EOC chief said as he expressed fear of another post-holiday surge in cases.

The uptrend in Covid-19 cases in the first quarter of this year was attributed to the complacency of the residents who went out during the Holiday season without strictly observing the minimum health protocols.

Garganera said the EOC pinned its hope on the protection that the vaccines give to the populace, with a warning, however, that in case of another surge, the hospitals here are facing the risk of being swarmed by unvaccinated individuals.

“Since we only have six weeks, so our behavior now will really determine of what kind of Christmas we’re going to have this coming December. You have to be mindful, and then we’re easing restriction we are doing this from curfew, contact sports to gathering,” he said.

He also said minors who have only received the first dose will take more or less one month for them to become fully vaccinated.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) and the Metro Manila Council (MMC) allowed the resumption of contact sports with certain restrictions as residents in the National Capital Region continue to enjoy more freedom under the less stringent Alert Level 2. (PNA)