‘We are also directing employers to monitor the health of workers’
The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) has issued prevention and control guidelines to help employers protect workers from the 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
Organizations are directed to:
- provide relevant information about 2019-nCoV to their employees, determine needed adjustment in work schemes and take immediate precautionary measure
- maintain cleanliness and make available disinfectants and sanitizers in the workplace
- prevent workers from direct exposure to animals, environments, and objects possibly carrying the virus.
“Aside from these, we are also directing employers to monitor the health of workers, particularly those with fever and flu symptoms and those who have travelled to or worked in countries affected with the 2019-nCoV,” says Silvestre Bello III, secretary of DOH.
Employers of health care and other frontline services personnel at risk of infection must also establish a screening program in accordance with the guidelines set by the Department of Health.
“Workers in these workplaces are also reminded to take extra precautionary measures which include strict hygiene and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) while at work,” says Bello.
On Sunday, the Philippines reported the first coronavirus death outside of China. As of Feb. 2, there are 14,557 confirmed 2019-nCoV cases in the world, four of them in Canada, according to the World Health Organization.
