SAN FERNANDO CITY, July 12 (PIA) - - To further ensure the safety of the residents from COVID-19, the members of the Regional Task Force Minimum Public Health Standards (TF-MPHS) have launched an on-the-spot inspection of business establishments and government offices in the Ilocos region.

Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Region 1 Director Eugene Cabrera said the inspection aims to check the compliance to the minimum public health standards (MPHS).

“After the inspection on the MPHS compliance of the establishments and offices, we will provide recommendations to improve their health protocol management," said Cabrera.

On July 8 – 9, the task force had successfully inspected five establishments and government offices in San Fernando City, La Union.

The task force will also inspect business establishments and offices in Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and Pangasinan.

The MPHS to be checked or to be rated by the members of the evaluating team during the inspection are the following: daily logbook for customers and employees, taking body temperature, foot bath, use of hand sanitizer, wearing of facemask, wearing of face shields, observance of physical distancing of at least one meter among customers and employees, visible markings for physical distancing, non-entry of below 15 and above 65 years-old individual inside the establishment, and presence of reminders on MPHS inside the establishment.

Meanwhile, the National Task Force (NTF) has intensified the campaign on strict compliance to the MPHS in all establishments and offices as it is the best defense of the people against COVID-19.

The MPHS are guidelines set by the DOH under Administrative Order No. 2020-0015 to aid all sectors in all settings to implement non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI). The NPI is public health measures that do not involve medications, or other pharmaceutical interventions, which individuals and communities can carry out to reduce transmission rates, contact rates, and the duration of infectiousness of individuals in the population to mitigate COVID-19. (JCR/FGL, PIA 1)