The Supreme Court on Wednesday urged qualified bar applicants to be vaccinated for COVID-19 before the examinations in November.
Bar examinations chairperson Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said that court officers are coordinating with the Inter-Agency Task Force for Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to consider bar applicants who are not under priority groups in the country’s vaccination program.
Leonen said they have had a “positive discussion” with vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. in line with this request.
#Bar2020_21 UPDATE: Read Bar Bulletin No. 22, s. 2021 – VACCINATION OF EXAMINEES AGAINST COVID-19 #BestBarEver2020_21 pic.twitter.com/ca8XOfeP7d
— Philippine Supreme Court Public Information Office (@SCPh_PIO) August 11, 2021
In a bulletin, the Supreme Court encouraged the bar applicants in the following categories to be vaccinated:
- Senior citizens
- Persons with comorbidities
- Frontline personnel in essential sectors
The Supreme Court is also working on the possible procurement of COVID-19 testing kits for Bar examinees.
The protocols for the upcoming Bar exam are expected to be announced in early October.
This year’s Bar examinations will be held in at least 16 testing sites across the country. Before the pandemic, exams were held at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
