House subpanel OKs proposed Better Normal for Workplace, Communities, Public Spaces Act

A subcommittee at the House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the measure which makes health and safety measures like frequent handwashing and wearing of masks mandatory for the next three years in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

During its virtual meeting, the New Normal Cluster of the House Defeat COVID-19 Committee, chaired by Antique Representative Loren Legarda, approved House Bill 6623, or the proposed "Better Normal for the Workplace, Communities and Public Spaces Act of 2020."

The measure primarily aims to prepare and educate Filipinos for a life after the COVID-related restrictions have been lifted through new norms of social and physical distancing and other safety measures in government and private establishments and institutions.

Under the measure, protocols that are already being practiced to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing of masks, putting up handwashing or sanitizing stations in public areas, temperature checks, and physical distancing of at least one meter in all public spaces, will be made mandatory.

Public gatherings will likewise be prohibited subject to exceptions as may be stated in the implementing rules and regulations of the law, and local government units will likewise be tasked to regulate public gatherings as well as the flow of people in government-managed public places.

Privately-organized gatherings will also be highly regulated, and no designated smoking areas will be allowed.

When it comes to the management of public transportation, the universal and mandatory safety measures will also be observed in terminals, public utility vehicles, and app-based transport network services.

Passengers should be seated one seat apart, and contactless payment mechanisms will be implemented.

At the same time, the operation of motorcycle taxis will remain suspended.

Further, the measure authorizes the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to determine the start of the academic year, promoting alternative or digital platforms of learning, instruction and evaluation.

The bill also mandates the database profiling of businesses, commercial establishments and industries, and the submission of a Better Normal Workforce and Workplace Management Plan which should incorporate alternative work arrangements.

In the government sector, meanwhile, various forms of e-governance should be established, considering relevant provisions on the Ease of Doing Business Act.

The measure also mandates the protection of the most vulnerable sectors of the society, ensuring the restoration of their livelihood, as well as adequate support for persons with disabilities, culture bearers and masters, as well as subsidies to artists and cultural performers.

Once it becomes a law, the measure will only take effect for three years from the date of its effectivity, or sooner upon official declaration from the President after the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

However, standards, protocols and other measures in the bill which are not rendered useless by the eradication of COVID-19 may continuously be implemented.

Following the approval in the subcommittee, the measure will be sent to the mother committee of the House Defeat COVID-19 for its consideration. — RSJ, GMA News