TO PREVENT COVID SPREAD: Employers told to adopt return-to-work plans

By Leonard T. Pineda I

The Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD) recently issued interim guidelines that enjoined employers to adopt business continuity plans to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) amid the easing of quarantine rules.

In a virtual press briefing, Dr. Ma. Julia Villanueva, DOH-6 Assistant Regional Director, said that these guidelines are contained in the DOH Department Memorandum No. 2020-0220, issued last May 11, 2020.

“Employers shall develop a work arrangement that will reduce the number of people in the workplace and also reduce the need to travel, including work from home arrangements to those whose tasks can be done at home, and among employees at high risk,” she said.

She said employees at high risk include those beyond 60 years of age, or of any age with co-morbidities, or pre-existing illness such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, or immunocompromised health status, or with high risk pregnancy.

“As for specific guidelines in the engineering and administrative control measures, the employer must ensure that the workspace is properly disinfected, ventilated and maintained,” she said.

She said that the employer shall provide proper visual reminders for safety policies around the workplace to improve compliance.

Likewise, the employer may also adopt and implement alternative working arrangements indicated in the Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circular 10, series of 2020, and the Joint Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Labor and Employment Interim Guidelines on Workplace Prevention and Control of COVID-19.

“The employer shall conduct daily temperature and symptom monitoring and recording of all staff who report for work,” she said.

She said employers shall implement activities to promote physical and mental resilience among their employees and workers.

“Returning employees and workers physically reporting to their place of employment shall be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 including fever, cough, colds, and other respiratory symptoms, and/or relevant history of travel or exposure within the last 14 days,” she said.

She said, that while testing is an important component of response against COVID-19, limitations on their reliability and validity shall be recognized.

“Employers who opt to conduct testing may do so in a representative sample of those who have returned to work physically and have a high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the nature of their work,” she said.

Testing using RT-PCR among representative samples for baseline can be conducted to look for any evidence of asymptomatic transmitters.

Alternatively, testing using FDA-approved rapid antibody-based tests among representative samples for baseline can also be conducted up to every 14 days. (PIA)