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Sunday, July 11, 2021

Biz sector scramble to get uniformed safety requirements

DOZENS OF commercial establishments have received their Safety Seal certification and StaySafe QR Codes as the local government continues to verify and process over 700 new applications with Mayor Beng Climaco calling on business owner to register.

A security guard stands beside a huge sign outside the LM Metro Hotel in Zamboanga City, one of many establishments granted the Safety Seal certificate by the local government for strictly adhering to the health protocols. (Zamboanga Post)

 
“The implementation of the Safety Seal together with the StaySafe QR Code is still ongoing,” Climaco said, referring to the national government’s official digital contact tracing application. 

The mayor said records from the City Administrator’s Office show that more than 700 establishments have applied online for Safety Seal certification and inspection teams have been deployed to check their conformity with the specifications set by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). 

“A total of five teams are going around the city to inspect the 16-point checklist from the DILG. We have certified 80 of these establishments,” Climaco said. 

Critics


Some local businessmen have criticized the digital contact tracing application, saying their businesses were affected by the strict implementation of the StaySafe.Ph and called it “anti-poor” since not all can afford to own a smartphone to download it.


But business establishments must designate a help desk or customer assistance desk for the registration with the StaySafe.Ph or for the generation and printing of the QR code for those who do not have smartphones.



C
limaco issued Executive Order BC 657-2021 in May this year adapting the StaySafe.Ph application as the official digital contact tracing system in Zamboanga City as ordered by the DILG.

In her executive order, Climaco said all city and national government offices, including private establishments, and the public are enjoined to use the application and utilize a uniformed quick response (QR) code in all entrances. The order also clearly states that all establishments should put up a help desk or customer assistance desk for the registration with the StaySafe.Ph or for the generation and printing of the QR code for those who do not have smartphones.

The executive order makes it mandatory for citizens - whether local residents or visitors who will enter, work or do business in  all indoor and enclosed public and private establishments here - to download and register at the StaySafe.Ph application which can be accessed on App store for iPhone, Google Play for Android devices and App Gallery for Huawei.

There is also a penalty for those, including establishments which fail to adapt the digital contact tracing system and for the first offense, the penalty is P2,000 and P3,000 for the next offense, and P5,000 for the third offense.

The application was developed by Multisys Technologies Corporation in collaboration with PLDT-Smart Group and PLDT Enterprise, and the national government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the National Task Force on Covid-19. 

Follow Order

DILG Undersecretary Bernardo Florece Jr. said the online application is an effective tool for contact tracing nationwide to ensure consistent, and unified contact tracing reporting.

“Instead of using other apps, it is imperative for local governments to use the StaySafe app for a unified system that will allow seamless, fast, and efficient contact tracing efforts,” he said, adding the digital contact tracing application will make it easier for government authorities and medical experts to keep track of the cases all over the country and carry out decisive actions to stem the rapid transmission of the virus.

“Hindi po puwedeng kanya-kanya tayo. We need a macro view of the situation on the ground so that we will be armed with up-to-date information that will aid us in implementing Covid-19 response policies and measures,” Florece said.

The StaySafe.Ph application is currently being used by some 15 million users and 700 local governments in the country, according to the DILG. It aims to reach at least 50 million users and connect all 1,634 city and municipal governments across the country.

David Almirol, President and CEO of the Multisys Technologies Corporation, said the digital contact tracing application is designed to aid in the management of Covid-19 cases by reminding people to maintain physical distance, as well as recording and monitoring symptoms of the deadly respiratory disease.

The application engages the public against the spread of Cobid-19 and aggregates all reports available in desktop and mobile versions, allowing the government to respond quickly to people’s needs and make informed and timely decisions to keep the public safe during this time of the pandemic. (Claudine Uniana, Zamboanga Post)


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