Cebu City Construction Sector to Improve Safety Against COVID-19

After following reports of the increased transmission of COVID-19 among construction workers, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is looking for more effective ways of battling COVID-19 in the construction sector.

EOC head and Cebu City councilor Joel Garganera said that recent reports of the increase of transmission among construction workers were alarming, and finding ways to improve health protocols will help battle the virus.

“During the past few weeks, the EOC observed that there is a significant increase of transmission among construction workers. In line with this, we conducted a coordination meeting with the stakeholders to get a glimpse of their situation and how we can further improve the health protocols,” Garganera said in a Facebook post.

A coordination meeting was attended by the Cebu Contractors Association, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) VII, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Cebu City’s Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO), and cluster heads of the EOC.

The meeting focused on the improvement of health protocols to prevent further virus transmission within the construction sector.

In the meeting, it was clarified that the swab testing for the workers shall be shouldered by the Department of Health (DOH) but the food and isolation costs shall be shouldered by the contractor/project owner.

“…swab testing for the workers will be shouldered by the DOH but the food provisions and isolation expenses will be provided by the Contractor or Project Owner in cases when the worker will be quarantined or incase an entire staff house will be locked down,” Garganera said.

Garganera also mentioned that for public works, food provision will be provided by the DPWH or the Contractor.

Also in the meeting, they also agreed that a Health and Infection Prevention Control Office (HIPCO) shall be established to streamline the process of contract tracing. There will also be a point person per bunkhouse to ease communications with the city’s contact tracing team. (ASC)