‘New Normal’ practiced in DAR Antique
Over the past two months, the pandemic has changed our everyday lives - how we interact, how we shop, how we work. Those changes include wearing masks when going out, working from home and virtual celebrations rather than in-person family gatherings. These changes and a lot more brought by pandemic seem relatively small but for the government agencies with frontline services like those of the Department of Agrarian Reform, it meant a tremendous shift in their everyday operations and how the programs and projects are to be implemented.
The life post-pandemic will never be the same because the ‘new normal’ is here to stay!
As the outbreak continues, protocols for the new normal in the DAR Provincial Office in Antique were set forth to ensure the health and safety of its community without compromising the delivery of quality services to the best of their ability during this period.
The issued guidelines were created for the employees and clients to adhere to as the province of Antique is placed under general community quarantine.
“We need to stay vigilant and proactive as the whole nation is placed under distress brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Enforcing stringent procedures and safety rules in our workplace would ensure safety and prevent the spread of the virus," said PARPO II Florentino D. Siladan.
He also added that he seeks understanding and full cooperation from the employees and the clients because the agency’s operations will be far from the pre-pandemic life that everyone had been used to.
As stated in the guidelines the following protocols are observed by the management:
Only DAR employees are allowed to enter the workplace and must always properly wear his or her DAR identification card; any person entering the workplace must be wearing mask and must be subjected to thermal scanning; it is mandatory to wash hands at the wash area or must sanitize with alcohol which is made avilable at the entry point before entering and leaving the premises; non-employees may transact business at the designated vistor's lounge and upon entering a Health Declaration Form must be accomplished.
The management also organized a protocol committee constituted by DAR personnel who will ensure that the workplace is compliant with all the protocols under the new normal, from the planning stage up to the execution stage. The committee also ensures the readiness and availability of the facilities, equipment and other protocol requisites.
Moreover, while the office is under an alternative work arrangement implementing a skeleton (skeletal) workforce, free shuttle services for its employees are being provided given the limited public transportation.
“At DARPO-Antique, the health and well-being of our clients and employees are our priority. Together, let’s do our share to help the world overcome this threat”, said Siladan.
