MANILA, Philippines — About 22,000 displaced workers will be able to regain their jobs with the reopening of gyms amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Friday.
He made the disclosure after Malacañang announced that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases allowed the reopening of gyms, fitness studios, and other indoor non-contact sports venues to 30% capacity in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces, otherwise known as the “NCR Plus.”
“‘Yung industriya would have about 22,000 workers at mga involved sa industriya na yan kaya malaking tulong din ‘yan doon sa makakabalik sa industriya na ‘yan dahil na-reopen na ‘yan,” he said in a Laging Handa public briefing.
(The industry would have about 22,000 workers so it would be a big help to those displaced workers because it has been reopened.)
Lopez said gym establishments, which is about 2,000 in NCR Plus, have to secure a safety seal certification first.
The safety seal can be availed from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Health (DOH).
He said the safety seal would certify that the establishments are complying with minimum health protocols as well as proper ventilation.
For the DTI’s part, Lopez said it has so far granted 115 establishments a safety seal while 600 others are still up for inspection.
He said that there are 105 applications that have been rejected.
“Ongoing pa ‘yan. Tuluy tuloy ang ating pag-inspect at pag-approve nito,” Lopez said.
(That is ongoing. The inspection and approval is continuous.)