MANILA, Philippines — Private companies are encouraged to provide shuttle services for their workers who are still expected to report to their jobs even with the suspension of mass transportation in the entire Luzon.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez floated the suggestion Tuesday as workers of essential establishments like supermarkets and hospitals scramble to go to work on the first day of implementation of the enhanced community quarantine.
“Ini-encourage natin ‘yung mga critical employees ng mga bukas na supermarkets, drug stores ay magawaan ng support in terms of shuttle service,” Lopez said in a press briefing.
(We encourage that the critical employees of supermarkets and drugstores to be given support in terms of shuttle service.)
“Kukunin sila sa mga ilang designated points para doon na lang sila pupunta dahil no public transportation,” he added.
(They will be fetched in some designated points so that they will just go there since there is no public transportation.)
President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine which will be in effect from March 17 to April 13.
Under the strict quarantine measure, only private establishments providing basic necessities related to food, medicine, banks, power, energy, water, telecommunications, among others will remain open.
Lopez also raised the idea for private companies to provide their employees with temporary lodging while the island-wide strict quarantine is in effect.
“Kung may skeletal force na kailangan i-maintain para makapag-operate ang mga businesses na ito, ay hopefully mabigyan sila ng temporary lodging at housing provisions sa tabi ng kanilang mga establisimyento para hindi na bibiyahe nang malayo ang mga employees,” Lopez said.
(If there is a [skeleton] force needed to be maintained so that businesses could still operate, hopefully, they could be given temporary lodging and housing provisions next to their establishments so that they wouldn’t have to travel far.)
Apart from these efforts from the private companies themselves, Lopez suggested that local government units (LGUs) use their vehicles to ferry their constituents.
“Pwede rin po natin i-consider yung mga LGU na may mga sasakyan, mga leaders, barangay leaders, ay baka naman pwedeng magawan ng arrangement kung saan mahahatid ang ibang empleyado in a particular place para lamang matulungan yung mga constituents ng mga LGUs,” he said.
(We can also consider the LGUs, the barangay leaders, to use their vehicles then make an arrangement to fetch their employees in a particular place and help their constituents.)
The President has previously declared a state of public health emergency throughout the country due to the rising transmission of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The outbreak started in China’s Wuhan City in Hubei province in late 2019.
To date, the country has so far recorded 142 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 12 deaths.
People who have COVID-19 could recover since for most people, its symptoms are mild like fever and cough. But the illness could also be worse or serious for others and can possibly lead to pneumonia, especially for older adults and those with existing health problems.
The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic as it has already infected more than 160,000 people and killed over 6,000 all over the world.