Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano has instructed the city’s task force on COVID-19 to check if all businesses comply with the health and safety standards set by the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
If not, “any business or activity not allowed under the IATF rules and guidelines shall be summarily closed,” Mayor Emi said in a memorandum dated May 15, 2020.
The memorandum added: “Without prejudice to other remedies under applicable laws, persons who violate this order may be arrested and charged under Sec. 9 of Republic Act 11332 (Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act) and/or (ii) Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code (Resistance and Disobedience to a Person In Authority).”
The order of Mayor Emi came a day before malls and other commercial establishments were allowed to open as the IATF eased restrictions amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Mayor Emi specifically ordered the city’s task force to see if all establishments use infrared thermometers or other devices to check on the body temperature of employees, clients, or customers who enter their premises.
The task force was also instructed to check if all businesses use safety measures such as face masks and other relevant protective gears, conduct frequent handwashing, and/or use alcohol or other sanitizer, according to Mayor Emi.
The mayor, likewise, directed the group to see if a “no mask, no entry” and social distancing (physical distancing of at least 1 meter) are implemented in such commercial establishments and businesses. Also, sanitation mats must be placed in every entrance of the store or business.
Mayor Emi told businesses that their customers or clients must present quarantine passes before entering their stores. “If the said pass does not sufficiently identify the possessor such as no photo, the establishment may require the presentation of additional identification.”
For private vehicles, only those employed in the permitted sectors will be allowed.
