COVID-19 Guidelines on Service Continuity Precautionary Measures in the Workplace

March 12, 2020

DA ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 08-20

 

Pursuant to the Memorandum from the Executive Secretary on the Stringent Social Distancing Measures and Further Guidelines for the Management of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation, the Department of Agriculture issues the following Guidelines on the continuity and unimpeded government service:

I. GENERAL GUIDELINES ON SERVICE CONTINUITY

1. Alternative working arrangements including, but not limited to, work-from-home, compressed work week, staggering working hours, and the creation of skeletal workforces shall be implemented.

2. Work in DA-Central Offices, including the Bureaus, Attached Agencies and Corporations as well as RFOs holding offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) is subject to the above-stated alternative work arrangements.

3. Affected offices shall organize a skeletal workforce and submit the lists of names as well as their work schedules to the Service Continuity Planning and Management Team (SCPMT) Secretariat. This submission includes a one-month rotation scheme, e.g., (Week1, Week2, Week3, and Week4), subject to the conditions set under work from home arrangements.

4. The skeletal workforce shall be limited to only up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the normal workforce. However, offices with essential functions (i.e., Personnel, budget and finance, senior officials, e.g., Usec, Asec, and Director, other signatories, support staff, maintenance, etc.) may need more than the skeletal workforce to report to the office.

5. Skeletal workforces shall report on such alternative work arrangement of a compressed work week, 10 hours a day, Monday to Thursday or Tuesday to Friday to meet the 40 hours requirement by the CSC. Provided further that, the normal work week (Monday to Friday) is maintained.

6. The SCPMT shall see to it that personnel for the frontline and emergency services of the Department are immediately deployed through the alternative work arrangements (e.g., issuance of permits, Price monitoring/enforcement, KADIWA ni Ani at Kita, etc.)

7. Priority for work-from-home arrangement shall be those personnel who are at high risk of being infected, i.e., those sixty (60) years old and above, those immunocompromised or with co-morbidities, and pregnant women.

8. Work from home arrangements should be communicated by the office heads, provided they require submission of daily accomplishment reports to their supervisors and documented thru email and other collaborative tools using the internet.

9. Skeletal workforce manning the frontline and emergency services are provided with free shuttle services.

10. Electronic media of communication, such as but not limited to, IP Telephony, teleconferencing facilities and applications, online office productivity and collaboration tools, and social media shall be availed of to minimize person to person contact subject to the guidelines under the DA ICT-Public Service Continuity Policy for COVID-19.

11. The SCPMT shall adopt a monitoring mechanism during the implementation of the alternative work arrangement.

12. Finally, if and when necessary, as the exigency of the service so warrants, the Regional Field Offices (RFOs) are directed to form their own Service Continuity and Planning Management Team, e.g., SCPMT-RFO1, and shall carry out the same principles, strategies, mechanisms or approaches on service continuity and in the imposition of precautionary measures in the workplace.

II. PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES IN THE WORKPLACE

The following precautionary measures are hereby enjoined:

A. All personnel are required to cooperate in the Community Quarantine efforts of the government.

B. All personnel on duty shall observe proper handwashing and use hand sanitizers or alcohol as often as necessary (e.g., 09:00am; 12:00nn; 03:00pm).

C. Personnel with medical and/or paramedical background may be tapped to form an ad hoc medical unit.

D. All mass gatherings or big events within the Department shall not be allowed. However, essential work-related meetings may continue so long as strict social distancing, defined as the strict maintenance of a distance of one (1) meter radius between and among those attending is maintained during the entirety of the event.

o Ceremonies for flag raising and flag retreat shall be suspended.

E. Each office shall submit a report on disinfection operations in their premises to the SCPMT.

F. All personnel and visitors shall be subject to mandatory thermal scanning and use of hand sanitizer/alcohol upon entry.

o Those with body temperature of 37.8°C and above shall be denied entry and shall be advised to seek immediate medical attention. Concerned personnel shall inform their immediate supervisor of such condition.

o Those with normal body temperature but with cough and cold may be allowed entry but shall be required to wear a face mask.

o Those on duty or visitors who subsequently exhibit COVID-19-like symptoms after being allowed entry into the DA premises shall be immediately escorted by the security personnel or those with medical or paramedical background to the designated Holding Area before conveyance to a hospital.

G. Any DA personnel, (plantilla and CoS), who exhibits COVID-19-like symptoms (fever, coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty of breathing, chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and runny nose) or has been exposed to persons infected with COVID-19 must immediately inform his/her supervisor; voluntarily seek medical attention; and/or go on self-quarantine for 14- days to be reckoned from date of discovery of symptoms.

H. All visitors are required to conscientiously fill-out the prescribed Declaration/Locator Form (Annex "A"). Those who have travelled to any country affected by COVID-19 shall be denied entry into the DA premises.

o Further, all DA personnel shall likewise be required to conscientiously fill-out the prescribed Declaration/Locator Form immediately upon effectivity of this Order. Failure to comply or any misdeclaration on the part of the personnel shall subject him/her to disciplinary action.

o All accomplished forms shall be submitted to the designated personnel (e.g., medical personnel) for health assessment and appropriate action.

I. Any personnel who arrived from any country declared by WHO and/or DOH as affected by COVID-19 shall undergo mandatory self-quarantine to monitor the signs and symptoms of the disease. The concerned personnel shall be considered a "Person Under Monitoring" (PUM).

These Guidelines shall take effect immediately until revoked.

For strict compliance.

(SGD.) WILLIAM D. DAR, Ph.D.Secretary