DOCUMENT: DOH releases interim rules on return-to-work during pandemic

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday, May 17, issued interim guidelines for those returning to work in Metro Manila and other parts of the country that will be under a relaxed community quarantine.

As part of its general guidelines, the DOH said that employers should adopt a business continuity plan to stem the spread of COVID-19. 

“Employers shall develop a work arrangement that will reduce the number of people in the workplace and also reduce the need to travel, including work from home arrangements to those whose tasks can be done at home, and among employees at high risk,” the DOH memo dated May 11 said.  

The DOH also said that employers should screen employees for “influenza-like symptoms.”

According to the DOH, employees physically returning to their workplaces should be checked for COVID-19 symptoms. The department also said that employees who are asymptomatic with a history of travel or exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual on the date of work resumptions are not allowed to physically report to their workplaces. 

Meanwhile, employers who would like to conduct COVID-19 testing may do so among a “representative sample of those who have returned to work physically and have a high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the nature of work.” 

The full copy of the interim guidelines can be accessed below:

Dm 2020-0220 Interim Guidel… by Rappler on Scribd