BAGUIO CITY – The City of Baguio gave green light for the resumption of some critical public works and private constructions, in the heels of the city’s shift from the state of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to general community quarantine (GCQ).
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong said, the city government initially authorized some 20-construction firms to resume contractual obligations after prescribed guidelines for protection of workers against COVID-19 had been complied with by them.
Construction is one of the priority sectors allowed to immediately resume operations under GCQ. The city shifts to GCQ May 16, 2020.
Magalong said, more than a hundred construction activities had been suspended due to the Luzon-wide ECQ, which commenced March 17, 2020.
He pointed out, it is important for construction activities in the city to resume in preparation for rainy season. Critical works should be wrapped up the soonest possible time to ensure threats to lives and property are mitigated, he added.
Magalong said, contractors were advised to prioritize hiring of workers from Baguio, Benguet and Mountain Province — areas considered clear from the dreaded COVID-19.
On the other hand, before they could even grab tools, skilled workers from the lowlands hired for specific works must undergo medical checkup at the City Health Services Office. This, over the 14-day quarantine they are required to fulfill.
City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo disclosed, some 110-construction workers employed by the cleared construction companies underwent required medical checkup over the past several days.
She said, of those that underwent the required medical checkup, 90-percent were declared fit to work. The remaining 10-percent were flagged for tuberculosis or pneumonia, considered co-morbidities of the deadly virus.
Based on city guidelines, contractors shoulder expenses for having their workers declared fit to work, including the medical checkup and clearances from the local health department.
To ensure community safety, the companies are likewise required to put up bunkhouses for their fit workforce to limit human movement; and, isolation facilities for workers required by local authorities to undergo quarantine.
As a prelude to the GCQ, the local government earlier allowed hardware stores and dealers of aggregates to resume business on limited days of the week, emphasizing compliance with social-distancing and facemask policies.
By Dexter A. See
Photo by Armando M. Bolislis
