TOURISM Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat yesterday said an inter-agency composite team will randomly conduct inspections of restaurants in localities under general community quarantine (GCQ), especially in Metro Manila, to ensure compliance with government-mandated safety measures and protocols.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) last week agreed to allow dine-in operations of restaurants in GCQ areas but only up to 30 percent seating capacity and in observance of safeguards laid down to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The IATF, through Resolution No. 45, said the dine-in operations would be subject to compliance with health protocols set by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Health (DOH) and guidelines crafted by local government units (LGUs).
The measures include mandatory social distancing protocols, with tables spaced at 1.5 meters apart. Restaurants should likewise install acrylic or clear barriers in between customers and require diners to wear masks. Establishments should likewise be regularly disinfected.
Partial dine-in operations can resume starting today, Monday.
“A composite team comprised of members from the DOT, DTI, and the DOLE shall conduct inspections to monitor compliance by the establishments,” Puyat said in a statement.
At the same time, the DOT said it is working together with the DTI, and Talino Venture Labs to provide digital solutions, free of charge for DOT- accredited businesses to help them meet the technological demands of the new normal.
Puyat said the IATF has adopted Talino Venture’s SafePass, a COVID -19 prevention and incident management platform for all business establishments.
“We introduced these digital solutions free of charge for DOT-accredited restaurants in their transition to the new normal. Innovation is key to effectively implement and maintain health and safety protocols in their premises”, Puyat said adding: “We can bounce back from our economic losses through our collective effort to ensure the health and safety of both employees and customers as more businesses gradually operate.”
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Sunday said the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) is on track to complete the rehabilitation of the island by May next year despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cimatu said the one-year extension given to the BIATF was enough to achieve all its targets and lay the groundwork for a permanent government body that would manage the tourist destination.
The life span of the BIATF was extended by one year or until May 2021 through Executive Order (EO) 115. The body was created under EO 53 with a validity of until May 8, 2020.
Cimatu said the DENR is waiting for the approval of the proposed bill in Congress that would create a permanent management group for the island under an independent body called Boracay Island Development Authority.
“We want to preserve all the good things that resulted from rehabilitation of Boracay and which brought it back to its rightful place as one of the best islands in the world,” Cimatu said in a statement.
The official said that as of June 8, the 25+5-meter beach easement is 69 percent cleared, while the 12-meter road easement is 73 percent done as the BIATF continues to enforce carrying capacity regulations to ensure that only 6,405 tourists will enter the island per day once it re-opens.
Puyat said the government is proceeding with the reopening of Boracay on June 16 with the resumption of flights to Caticlan and Kalibo in Aklan.
Puyat said the government is gearing towards the reopening of the domestic tourism and is currently taking steps to ensure that there will be no increase in the number of COVID-19 cases or spread it through the tourists.
She said local governments in areas where top tourist destinations are located have been preparing reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test kits and laboratories to test all incoming tourists.
She said apart from Boracay, the DOT is also looking at Bohol and El Nido in Palawan.
In the Luzon area, Romulo-Puyat said she had talked to the Baguio local government but they are still holding off the opening of their city to tourists. She said Baguio is inclined to open in September as the city continues to upgrade their critical care capacity to address the COVOD-19 threat.
The tourism industry contributes up to 12.7 percent of the gross domestic product and 11.1 percent of which accounts for domestic tourism. In 2018, some 11 million Filipinos travelled around the country.
At the same time, Cimatu called for the swift resolution of the case involving the illegal arrest and police brutality suffered by a team of environmental enforcers in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. — Jed Macapagal