MANILA – Monitoring activities of the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in business establishments in Metro Manila in the first quarter of the year showed that the compliance rate for health protocols is high at 94.7 percent.
For the first three months of the year, FTEB inspected a total of 1,077 business establishments in the National Capital Region.
Of the said number, 931 establishments were compliant with the minimum health standards to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“Meanwhile, 146 requests for corrective actions (RCAs) were issued to non-compliant business establishments; 89 of which complied within the prescribed time, 46 were endorsed to local government units for further action and investigation,, and 11 are awaiting corrective actions,” FTEB said in a statement Monday.
Among the protocols that these establishments failed to comply include lacking the health declaration forms for contact tracing and thermal scanner upon entry, improper wearing of face masks and face shields among personnel during duty, and physical distancing.
“We are urging the businesses to comply with the minimum health standards and other health control measures to combat coronavirus with increased awareness of hygiene, safety, and protection,” FTEB director Ronnel Abrenica said.
In a radio interview Monday, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez encouraged business establishments to strictly implement the minimum health standards in their stores to stop the further surge of Covid-19, particularly in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
He added that once daily Covid-19 cases are being well-managed and started to decline, community quarantine status in NCR Plus -- National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal -- would be less stringent.
This also means that more industries can reopen and more jobs and livelihood could be brought back. (PNA)
