Essential public, private construction can now continue in areas under ECQ, says Palace
Construction of essential infrastructure projects, whether by the government or the private sector, could continue now in areas under the enhanced community quarantine, Malacañang said on Monday.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a press briefing, said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has approved this.
"Item O, paragraph 4, section 2 of Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community quarantine in the Philippines has been amended, stating that infrastructure projects in areas under the enhanced community quarantine can now continue. Included here are the essential public or private construction, as well as the priority public infrastructure projects based on the guidelines of the DPWH (Department of Social Welfare and Development)," he said.
In places under the general community quarantine, Roque said that all public and private construction projects are also allowed provided that they would follow the safety guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The DPWH guidelines for the implementation of infrastructure projects provide that that during the deployment of workers, there should be a conduct of an inventory works for the construction sequencing to be followed and undertaken to maintain social distancing.
Break times shall be conducted in a staggered manner; employees should be in their respective quarters for the entire duration of the project covered by the ECQ and GCQ; "prior to deployment' procedures shall be conducted at every instance of re-entry;
Errands to be conducted outside the construction site premises shall be kept to a minimum; number of personnel running errands shall be limited, properly disinfected, and closely monitors for symptoms within 14 days upon re-entry;
Field offices, employees' quarters, and other common areas shall be regularly disinfected; concessionaires, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers shall provide in-house personnel adequate food, safe/potable drinking water, disinfectants. and hand soaps;
Daily monitoring of health conditions of workers; personnel with symptoms relative to COVID-19 shall be quarantined for 14 days, and brought to the nearest Department of Health COVID-19 treatment facility, if necessary.
Work activities shall be strictly monitored by the safety officer to ensure compliance to safety standards and quarantine protocols.
For government construction projects, DPWH engineers on site shall ensure strict compliance to the wearing of additional personal protective equipment while contractors for essential private construction projects under GCQ shall assign a safety officer to ensure the implementation of social distancing measures.
For off-site employees, the quarters and transport service will be provided and disinfected regularly before and after use.
Sharing of construction and office equipment is discouraged. However, if necessary, the shared equipment must be disinfected in between transfers among personnel.
All material and equipment delivery and disposal shall be conducted by a specific team of personnel on an isolated loading/unloading zone, and shall be duly disinfected, as possible.
Non-essential personnel will not be allowed to enter the construction site, employees’ quarters, and field offices.
All personnel entering the site premises on a temporary basis shall be properly logged and checked for symptoms.
The DPWH also strictly prohibits the gatherings, liquor, and/or merry-making within the construction site premises.
Clustered and staggered deployment of employees within the construction site shall be observed and proper waste disposal shall be provided for infectious waste such as PPEs and other waste products coming from outside the construction premises. Celerina Monte/DMS
