Article by:
Liza Agoot
BAGUIO CITY – The city government has conducted surprise inspections in establishments to check their compliance with health and safety standards.
In a phone interview Thursday, City Information Officer Aileen Refuerzo said at least 41 establishments, including restaurants, banks, salons, and drug stores, were subjected to random checks last week to determine if these comply with the provisions of Mayor Benjamin Magalong's Executive Order No. 5-2022, which puts a cap to the operational capacities of different industries.
This came as the city was placed under Alert Level 3 by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
“For instance, for food and beverage retail establishments with dine-in services, a 30 percent threshold was imposed for indoor settings for fully vaccinated individuals only and 50 percent for establishments with outdoor dining areas,” she said.
Refuerzo said also included in the spot inspection is the establishment’s compliance with the rule of allowing only fully vaccinated individuals to dine-in or to prioritize vaccinated clients in the provision of services.
She said those found non-compliant were issued "notices of violation (NOV) and warning.”
Among penalties is the revocation of the safety seal certification issued to the establishment that allows an additional 10 percent to the allowable capacity.
She said the city government continues to reiterate the need to strictly adhere to protocols to help safeguard the health and safety of their customers in the light of the fresh wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases believed to be driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant.
“We need to cooperate and help each other to arrest this new surge because it will affect not only the health of residents but also the state of the city's economy," she said.
The City Council earlier passed a resolution urging all business establishments operating in the city to have their customers present vaccination cards, certificates, or quick response (QR) codes as evidence of their vaccination. (PNA)
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