A total of 1,510 front-line workers in the accommodation and hospitality industry have received their first dose of vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

In a statement, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the total, recorded as of April 30, includes workers from DOT-accredited and local government unit (LGU)-licensed quarantine/isolation facilities and non-quarantine DOT-accredited accommodation establishments.

“We have also received word that LGUs who have already covered the majority of those in the A1 to A3 classification will also begin vaccinating those in the A4 group,” Romulo-Puyat said.

Frontline workers in essential sectors such as those working in hotels and accommodation establishments are included in the A4 priority group in the vaccine rollout program.

On Saturday, some 150 personnel of quarantine hotels were among the hundreds of workers vaccinated against Covid-19 during the symbolic vaccination of laborers as part of the government’s celebration of Labor Day.

Earlier, the DOT said the lifting of travel restrictions and the quick recovery of the tourism industry and the national economy as a whole “hinge heavily” on the health and safety of tourism workers. (PNA)