PASIG CITY, May 26 (PIA) --National Action Plan on COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez inspected salons and fast food restaurants at a Metro Manila mall on Sunday to ensure that proper health standards being implemented by the government are strictly observed by these establishments to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Metro Manila will remain under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until the end of May. Under MECQ guidelines, hair salons, massage services and similar facilities are still prohibited from operating. Fast food restaurants can only accept take-out orders.
The inspections being conducted by National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 and Trade & Industry department officials are in line with the government’s efforts to gradually open the economy following a two-month lockdown.
“The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) recognizes that salons and barbershops employ over 400,000 people. While we want for them to reopen in the General Community Quarantine (GCQ), we also need to take into consideration the pressing concern that this industry, which may cause further transmission, should institute strict measures to prevent such risks of passing infection,” Lopez said.
“This is why we requested a demo so that Sec. Galvez and I could see how they are able to implement additional health protocols. The IATF stresses the importance of balancing the health of the people and the reopening of our economy,” Lopez added.
The two officials also surveyed the layout of a fastfood restaurant catering to a maximum 50% capacity to ensure that they observe social distancing measures and the wearing of protective gears.
Galvez said he was very impressed with what he observed in all the demonstrations.
“We saw that these establishments even went further and innovated to ensure the protection of their clients and workers. Based on what we will see in the country’s health progress, if deaths and transmissions continue to go down, maybe we can allow some more to open up,” he explained.
“As Secretary Mon said, we have to balance public safety and the economy. But we will open up based on the reminders of the Department of Health: slowly and little by little,” Galvez said.
According to the two Secretaries, they will recommend to the IATF an extra set of special guidelines for these sectors and have either an accreditation system or a strict operations audit procedure those reopening.
“With this system in place, there can be an earlier-than-scheduled reopening for those that will be prepared,” Galvez said.
The NTF Chief Implementer said the accreditation/audit system will be in coordination with DTI, health and safety officials of local government units (LGUs), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Lopez emphasized, however, that there would be no compromise in the health standards as DTI, NTF and IATF continue to assist Filipino businesses in restarting their operations. (NTF/DTI/PIA-NCR)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
0 Comments