Enforcing the business firms to comply with the set guidelines of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as more enterprises resume operations, the tandem agencies recently conducted inspection in business establishments and workplaces in San Fernando City, La Union.
The strict monitoring of business operations seek to ensure that the health protocols and safety measures are properly observed to curtail the COVID-19 spread.
Led by the DTI-Region 1 Director Grace Falgui-Baluyan and DTI-La Union Director Merlie Membrere together with the DOLE team led by Assistant Regional Director Honorina Dian-Baga, they visited the CSI City Mall La Union. The team checked the compliance of the mall including the fast foods and other individual retails shops pursuant to the joint DOLE-DTI Interim Guidelines on Workplace Prevention and Control of COVID-19. All businesses are required to conform to the said guidelines in GCQ and MGCQ areas.
The inspection results revealed that the mall is compliant to the minimum health requirements such as the observance of no facemask-no entry policy, the use of thermal scanning and disinfectant footbaths at the entrance, and the strict concurrence of social distancing.
However, recommendations for improvement were brought out to the mall management such as the daily accomplishment of health declaration form and provision of COVID-19 IEC materials for employees and customers. The absence of safety officer, identified isolation area and directional signage for foot traffic must also be responded and carried out immediately. The mall management agreed to comply with all the recommendations within the week.
While more businesses are allowed to operate, Director Baluyan urged mall goers and consumers to follow the protocols implemented by the establishments for their own safety and protection.
The monitoring of business establishments will also be conducted in the different provinces. A follow-up visit will be done to check on the implementation of the recommendations to ensure compliance to the guidelines by the various business establishments. The results of the monitoring will be reported to the Regional Task Force (RTF) which will be endorsed to Local Government Units (LGUs) should there be a need to enforce sanctions or other appropriate actions for non-compliance.♦
Date of Release: 19 June 2020