MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 10,000 business establishments inspected by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) nationwide were found to be not in compliance with health protocols and standards being imposed in workplaces to protect employees against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“As of August of last month, 40,943 establishments have been inspected and we have already seen 31,000 companies that have been complying, with a compliance rate of 75 percent,” DOLE Assistant Secretary Maria Teresita Cucueco said during a House budget hearing for the department on Wednesday.
She said that the establishments found to have not been observing health protocols were advised to comply with the requirements.
According to Cucueco, the DOLE, through its regional offices, has been providing advocacy information to business establishments across the country on minimum health policies that should be observed against the COVID-19 in workplaces.
“We have been working nationwide with all companies and enforcement is also ensuring that these guidelines [are being observed and that] the companies are aware of this and they are compliant to all of these guidelines,” she added.
The DOLE official revealed these figures as the Department of Health reported that the country has already logged a total of 241,987 COVID-19 cases, including additional 3,281 infections on Tuesday. Of the total count, 52,893 are active, 185,178 are recoveries, and 3,916 are deaths.