More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1672265/workers-laid-off-during-pandemic-return-to-mactan-hotels-resorts |
Resorts and hotels on the island of Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City have started to rehire workers who were laid off at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Alfred Reyes, president of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu Inc. (HRRACI), said hotels and resorts are now upbeat on their journey to full recovery, two years since the pandemic battered the industry.
He said occupancy rates in about 20 major hotels and resorts on Mactan Island are between 30 percent and 40 percent.
“We all know that Mactan is very much dependent on its leisure market. We’re hoping things will be much better when our target markets (Japanese and Koreans) will return here at the end of the year,” he said in a phone interview on Wednesday.
HRRACI, the largest business organization in Cebu with about 100 members, attributed the improvement of hotel occupancy levels to the increase in domestic travelers and the ramping up of domestic flights nationwide.
“Our marketing strategies need to be very aggressive. As long as the borders are open, it would be much easier to do the campaign for our target markets,” said Reyes, general manager of Bai Hotel.
“If the borders are not open, nothing much will flourish. Once it’s open, we have to be very aggressive in our marketing campaign,” he added.
She, however, admitted that their guests consisted of mostly local tourists and that their occupancy rate was only between 20 percent and 30 percent.
“There are only a few foreigners, perhaps because of the hassle of coming here to the Philippines. Each airport has its own requirements and protocols,” Allego said.
Despite this, the resort decided to rehire its former employees, hoping that the number of tourists would increase by December due to the Christmas holidays, and January 2023 when Cebu brings back the Sinulog Festival.
Plantation Bay had 465 workers before the pandemic was declared in March 2020. Only 100 were retained since July 2020 while the rest found jobs in business process outsourcing companies or started their own businesses.
Allego said this year, the resort hired 77 new employees as visitors started to come back. Plantation Bay currently has 358 employees.
Industry players appealed to the government to “jumpstart” the tourism market, especially for foreign visitors.
Allego hoped that there would be a single travel policy in the country amid the easing of health and mobility restrictions during the pandemic.
Business continue to reopen and rehire as the pandemic recedes into the past.
But all is not well as the actual amount of COVID cases could be double than what is being reported.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/846400/current-covid-19-cases-may-be-double-than-reported-says-phapi-head/story/ |
The number of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 may be twice more than what is reported, the head of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) said Thursday.
PHAPI president Dr. Jose de Grano said this is because of the use of self-administered antigen test kits which could not be included in the official reports released by the Department of Health (DOH).
(The cases may be double the data we see now. For example, if there are 38,000 active cases, the real number is bigger. This is because there are people who are testing themselves using antigen and that is not being reported. Only those who go to accredited laboratories and hospitals are being reported.)
Due to this, De Grano advised the public to remain vigilant against the virus, and reiterated his call for them to continue wearing face masks even outdoors.
(Let’s think about our responsibility to protect not only ourselves, but also our families and friends so that we won’t infect them, and we also don’t get infected with COVID-19 again.)
This means people are at more risk than they imagine.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1672973/ncr-at-increased-covid-risk-again |
Metro Manila has been classified as “moderate risk” for COVID-19 transmission amid an upswing in cases, but the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday maintained that the infection trends in the National Capital Region (NCR) are not solely caused by the optional masking policy in outdoor spaces.
Hospitalizations in six cities in the capital region have also been classified as moderate risk for reaching more than half of its capacity for COVID-19 cases.At a press briefing on Thursday, DOH officer in charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said that Metro Manila is now at moderate risk after 13 out of the 17 areas in the capital region saw sustained increases in COVID-19 infections, with growth rates entering positive territory in the recent week.
The only areas that remained at low risk for COVID-19 transmission were Malabon, Navotas, Caloocan and Valenzuela, the health official said.
According to the latest COVID-19 situationer of the DOH, only Metro Manila and its adjacent provinces Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal continued to show an upward trend in infections. Cases in the rest of the areas in the country remained on a plateau.
The optional masking policy should not be solely blamed for the uptick in cases as it was already “expected” because of other factors such as “increasing mobility and the opening of other sectors,” Vergeire said.
“We all need to change our mindset and remember… that the virus will continue to stay with us, and that we will need to live with the virus,” Vergeire pointed out.
The solutions is to wear face masks and get vaccinated. But it turns out people seem to not care about getting vaccinated.
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1942241/manila/local-news/special-vaccination-week-sees-less-than-6-achievement |
FOUR days into the six-day special vaccination week, the Department of Health (DOH) has reached only close to six percent of its almost two million target coronavirus disease (Covid-19) booster shots.In a press briefing, DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the special vaccination week has so far reached 109,000 individuals out of the 1.9 million target for the campaign set to end Saturday, October 1.The numbers, as of September 29, are equivalent to 5.7 percent of the target number for the DOH."All these efforts of the local government, throughout this week, have been intensive. Resources have been used. All sectors were mobilized. We have these different settings that we are implementing. But, up until now, the uptake is very slow," said Vergeire."Based on this booster accomplishment, really, the uptake is very slow," she furthered.
All that intense effort with practically no results. The vaccination program has lost all its steam.
The Christmas season is upon us. That means it is time for the annual tradition of warning the public about the dangers of Christmas parties.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/02/doh-reminds-public-to-stay-safe-during-christmas-gatherings-amid-covid-19-pandemic/ |
The Department of Health (DOH) reminded the public that the Covid-19 virus remains a threat during the Christmas season even if the country is slowly transitioning toward normalcy.
“We just want to remind our citizens especially since Christmas is coming and usually we will be having parties, group activities, company outings because of the celebration of Christmas. I hope we always remember that the virus still remains,” said DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a recent press briefing.
“Many people are still getting sick. Many of us are still vulnerable, especially the elderly,” she added.
Vergeire still emphasized the importance of following the minimum public health standards, especially for private establishments or companies that are planning to conduct Christmas gatherings in the coming months.
“Let’s be doubly careful. Always assess if the situation is appropriate if you are planning to have these kinds of activities,” she said.
“Always remember the safety protocols that we have in order to avoid further transmission [of the virus] this coming Christmas,” she added.
Vergeire encouraged companies to require only fully vaccinated individuals if they are planning to hold Christmas gatherings.
“Hopefully, our establishments and companies will implement that their employees must be vaccinated, especially if their activities will be held inside establishment,” said Vergeire.
“If the venue is closed, crowded, and there is a risk for close interaction with people, masks should always be worn,” she added.
The Department of Education has also warned that COVID-19 is in schools. What did they expect? In Central Visayas face masks are mandatory in classrooms. The bottom line is that the public needs to be doubly careful.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/10/03/2213833/doh-reminds-public-be-doubly-careful-vs-covid-19 |
“We should be doubly careful. We must always see if the situation is for us to have activities, and always remember the safety protocols,” she added.
Although the country is slowly easing restrictions and the situation is better than the past two Christmas holidays, Vergeire said the public must keep in mind that the virus is here to stay.
Not doubt "doubly careful" means be very afraid and get vaccinated and always wear a face mask. How does that pair with keeping in mind "the virus is here to stay." It's here, why fear, get over it!
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