There is a need for a closer public-private coordination to quell the rising COVID-19 cases, according to Quezon City Councilor Mikey Belmonte.
With experts warning against an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in several areas of the country, including the National Capital Region, he urged organizations from the private sector to work more closely with the government in enacting new measures to prevent the further spread of the virus, especially with the new COVID-19 variants detected in recent cases.
“Despite the fact that we have started the vaccination campaign nationwide, the numbers show that there is indeed a rising number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the city particularly. We cannot let our guard down especially now, and we have to work more closely with all sectors of the community to prevent the spread,” he said.
Two barangays in Quezon City that had the highest daily number of cases—Batasan Hills and Commonwealth—from Feb. 28 to March 6, he said, were in his district, citing Octa Research.
He said Quezon City experienced sharp increases in the number of cases of over 40 percent increase per week.
Belmonte, committee on trade, commerce and industry chairperson, called on businesses and workplaces to review and improve their current policies on COVID-19 prevention in accordance with the regulations set by the local government.
He says he wants to focus on the commercial and food establishments, which are dense hubs of foot traffic in the city.
“Here in Quezon City, we are implementing a resolution to require all businesses to submit customer or crowd safety management plans along with their sales promotion permits to further strengthen the health protocols during sales activities,” he said.
“The local government also updated its regulations on general community quarantine last March 5, ordering cinemas, video and game arcades, and theme parks to remain closed. Businesses are also now required to use a digital contact tracing application called KyusiPass for employees and consumers in the city.”.