Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to jail anyone who refuses to be vaccinated for the coronavirus as the nation battles one of Asia's worst outbreaks.
Duterte made the comments Monday following reports of low turnouts at vaccination sites in the capital Manila, according to The Straits Times.
"You choose, vaccine or I will have you jailed."
— CNN International (@cnni) June 22, 2021
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail people who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. https://t.co/p1Hfqgil7o
"You choose, vaccine, or I will have you jailed," Duterte said during a televised program.
"Don't get me wrong, there is a crisis in this country," said Duterte. "I'm just exasperated by Filipinos not heeding the government," he added.
While 1.3 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded to date, 23,749 Filipinos have died from the virus.
'Get vaccinated or leave': Duterte threatens Philippine citizens with arrest https://t.co/hsEdVqKVox
— ABC News (@abcnews) June 22, 2021
As of June 20, approximately 2.1 million people in the country with a population of 110 million have received both doses of a vaccine.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
