Isko: Alternative work scheme under MECQ
WITH the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) now up in the metro, Mayor Isko Moreno announced that only six out of the some 40 departments, bureaus and offices in the city will be fully operational apart from the six hospitals and the two cemeteries being run by the city government. Persons with disabilities, senior citizens, those aged below 21 and pregnant women belonging to the said offices will work from home.
These are the Manila Health Department which includes the Manila North and Manila South cemeteries and headed by Dr. Poks Pangan; the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office headed by Arnel Angeles; Manila Social Welfare Department under Re Fugoso; Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau under Dennis Viaje, the Veterinary Inspection Board and the Market Administration office under city administrator Felix Espiritu.
All other offices will follow the alternate working arrangements previously enforced with the provision of skeletal force in the meantime.
Moreno directed the heads of offices and city treasurer Jasmin Talegon to ensure that the payroll and corresponding salaries are processed so they can be received by the personnel without delay.
Of the six hospitals, the Ospital ng Maynila will remain closed until August 9 as previously ordered by Moreno, in an effort to arrest a contagion among doctors and nurses.
Meanwhile, the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) went on a two-week lockdown beginning yesterday to slow down COVID-19 infections within the campus.
Moreno came up with the decision based on a recommendation made by the PLM COVID-19 Task Force which was spurred by an increase in active, probable, and suspected cases of employees infected with the coronoavirus.
It was learned that currently, there are four confirmed cases, with two recovered patients and one fatality among employees of the PLM. There are also three probable and one suspect cases even as those that have come in contact with said carriers are now being traced.
“We are taking this two-week timeout as an extra precaution as we acknowledge the current health situation in our campus, in the City of Manila, and in the country. We are hoping that in our own way, we can prevent further COVID-19 infections within our community”, University President Emmanuel Leyco said.
Those who are deemed as highly essential and cannot bring home their workload such as IT and server maintenance staff, disinfection and sanitation crew and security personnel will still be made to report for work and visitors are not allowed to enter campus grounds. Document submissions will be accepted as deliveries.
All transactions will be carried out fully online in the next two weeks, including the registration period for freshmen which starts August 3. Other requirements and processes will have to be coursed through e-mail with respective departments and offices concerned, the PLM said in its announcement on Facebook.
