Republic of the Philippines

Philippine Statistics Authority

B
Reference No. 20ONS00-___

OFFICE MEMORANDUM NO. 2020-

TO : ALL PSA PERSONNEL

SUBJECT : Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Response Protocol

DATE : 26 June 2020

I. Background

In January 2020, the COVID-19 was discovered as a novel disease that

can cause respiratory infection. The outbreak of COVID-19 started in Wuhan,
China in December 2019 and was declared as pandemic by the World Health
Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.
Prior to the declaration of WHO, the Office of the President issued
Proclamation No. 922 dated 08 March 2020 1 to mobilize governmental and non-
governmental agencies which requires a whole-of-government response to
undertake and implement urgent and critical measures to contain or prevent the
spread of COVID-19, mitigate its effect and impact to the community and prevent
disruption of the functioning of the government and the community.
Anchoring on this Proclamation and pursuant to Department of Health
(DOH) Department Memorandum No. 2020-0056 2 this Memorandum is issued to
guide PSA personnel on the action to take for the COVID-19 management.
II. Guidelines

A. Preventive Measures

1. Respiratory etiquette

a. Cough and sneeze into tissue or into shirt sleeve if tissue is not
available. Disposed used tissues properly and disinfect hands
immediately after a cough or sneeze.

1
Declaring a State of Public Health Emergency Throughout the Philippines
2
Interim Guidelines for 2019 Novel Coronavirus Acute Respiratory Disease (2019-nCoV ARD) Response in the
workplace
 b. Avoid touching the mouth, eyes and nose to help slow the
spread of the virus.

c. Mandatory wearing by all PSA personnel of face masks, ear

loop masks, indigenous, reusable or do-it-yourself masks, face
shields, handkerchiefs, or such other protective equipment that
can effectively lessen the transmission of COVID-19.

2. Hand Hygiene:

a. Perform regular and thorough hand washing with soap and

water. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers containing at least
60% ethanol or isopropanol when soap and water are not
available

3. Social distancing measures:

a. Whenever possible, keep a distance of at least 3 feet or 1 meter

away from other people to reduce the possibility of person-to-
person transmission. This distance should be observed even as
to apparently healthy persons without symptoms.

b. Offer telecommuting and replace in-person meetings in the

workplace with video or telephone conferences.

4. Environmental measures:

a. Clean frequently-touched surfaces and objects, including tables,

doorknobs, desks, and keyboards.

b. Maintaining the environment clean, especially common-use

areas and those with touchpoints such as the elevators, light
switches and the like.

c. Make dispensers with alcohol-based hand rub available in

public areas

5. Practical measures:

a. All personnel who are reporting as part of the skeletal workforce

shall always have the “mindset” and be conscious to behave as
if they may be possibly infected with the virus, albeit
 asymptomatic, and may be potentially exposing their colleagues
to the virus.

b. All personnel must as much as possible stay only in their

respective workstations and avoid moving around the office.

c. Talking closely between personnel during working hours is

highly discouraged. Talking is also discouraged in common
areas such as near the water dispenser or the photocopier.

d. All personnel are advised to always carry their own pens.

e. Eating in communal areas is discouraged. It is best to eat in

individual work area and all wastes shall be disposed properly.

f. Boost your immune system by eating a balanced diet, getting

enough sleep and exercise, and drinking plenty of water. A
strong immune system will be better able to fight off COVID-19,
as well as other diseases.

B. Detection

1. Self-Reporting of COVID-19 Symptoms and Non-work-related

Exposures

a. All PSA personnel are directed to report to their immediate

supervisors of any confirmed exposure to COVID-19 or direct
exposure to symptomatic family members, or others to which
they have frequent and close contact with. The immediate
supervisor shall then coordinate to Human Resource Division or
Crisis Management Committee.

b. All PSA personnel shall be required to submit themselves to

temperature checks in the office entry points. For any personnel
with temperature of > 37.5°C, even after a 5 minute rest, the
personnel shall be isolated in an area identified by the PSA.

The staff assigned to assess the PSA personnel held in the

isolation room shall be provided the appropriate medical grade
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which shall include but
not limited to face masks, googles/face shields, and/or gloves.
C. Isolation

1. Establishment of an Isolation Area

An isolation area shall be established within the vicinity of PSA

Offices. The isolation room shall be used by the suspected infected
person exhibiting symptoms of COVID 19.

2. Reducing the risk of infection from COVID 19

a. In the event that a PSA Personnel is suspected or probable as

having COVID-19.

i. The suspected or probable COVID-19 PSA personnel

shall be isolated in the designated isolation area. The
PSA personnel shall stay in the isolation area until further
confirmatory tests are done by the DOH and/or other
cognizant health authorities/practitioners. In that case,
food, medicines and vitamins shall be provided.

ii. Personnel attending to the suspected or probable

COVID-19 PSA personnel should wear appropriate PPEs
and if needed should require the transport of the affected
PSA personnel to the nearest hospital.

iii. Decontamination of workplace

 Workplace shall be decontaminated with

appropriate disinfectant (e.g. chlorine bleaching
solution and 1 :100 phenol based disinfectant);

 After decontamination of the work area, work can

resume after 24 hours; and

 PSA personnel present in the work area with the

suspect or probable COVID-19 PSA personnel
shall go on a 14 day home quarantine. If the
suspect or probable COVID-19 PSA personnel
has negative result, co-workers may be
allowed to report back to work.
 b. In the event that a PSA personnel is sick or has fever but is not
suspected or probable to have COVID-19 (e.g. urinary infection,
wound infection or any diseases not related to lungs or
respiratory tract). The said personnel shall be advised to take
prudent measures to limit the spread of communicable disease
as follows:

i. Stay at home and keep away from work or crowds;

ii. Take adequate rest and take plenty of fluids;

iii. Practice personal hygiene to prevent spread of disease;

and

iv. Seek appropriate medical care if there is persistent fever,

when difficulty of breathing has started, or when he/she
becomes weak.

D. Notification, Referral and Reporting

1. All suspected, probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases of PSA

personnel shall be reported to the PSA Crisis Management Committee

2. The PSA Crisis Management Committee shall coordinate with health

authorities for proper investigation and/or contact tracing.

3. Everyone is advised to refrain from sharing unverified reports and/or

false news to avoid undue stress and worry due to misinformation.

E. Leave Absences

Absence from work of officials and employees due to the required

period of quarantine and/or treatment for the COVID 19, as applicable,
shall be treated in accordance with Civil Service Commission (CSC)
Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 08 series of 2020 3, while COSW/s who
will not be required to work due to the required period of quarantine and/or
treatment for the COVID 19 shall be paid their corresponding salaries
during community quarantine period as exception to the “no work no pay
principle” pursuant to Commission on Audit (COA) and Department of

3
Revised Interim Guidelines on the Use of Leave Credits for Absences Due to Quarantine and/or Treatment
Relative to the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19).
 Budget and Management (DBM) Joint Circular No.1 s. 2020 4 provided that
the concerned COSW/s shall submit certificate issued by government
physician that he/she has submitted himself/herself for quarantine and/or
medical records showing that he/she was treated of the COVID-19 signed
by the attending physician (for those under treatment of COVID-19).

III. Effectivity

These guidelines shall be effective immediately.

4
Interim Guidelines Governing Contract of Service (COS) and Job Order (JO) Workers in Government for the
Duration of the State of Calamity and Community Quarantine Due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).