THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has recommended to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to issue a memorandum circular to all business establishments in the country to do away with the pen and paper method of contact tracing.

Economic Development Council chairman Virgilio Espeleta proposed to the Regional Development Council (RDC) the PCCI’s recommendation to discontinue the use of pen and paper in recording the entry of customers inside their business establishments.

“By doing away with the use of pen and paper, the PCCI believes it mitigates the risk of transmissions, surface contact and reduces the queuing time of customers in the entry of establishments. This is to prevent transmission and at the same time, we are in the age of digital technology and we need contact tracing to be as efficient as possible so this request will be able to compel establishments to adopt the QR system,” he said.

The PCCI recommended for the DTI to issue a memorandum circular mandating all business owners to adopt a standardized QR code design for a more efficient contact tracing.

The RDC 7 approved the endorsement to support the PCCI Region 7 Joint Resolution 9-11-2020 (series of 2020) on the proposed safely protocol on entry to business establishments and endorse the same to the DTI.

DTI 7 Assistant Regional Director Maria Elena Arbon, for her part, called for business establishments to start adopting modern ways of contact tracing like the QR code system.

Arbon said they have been enabling start-up companies with contact tracing apps to connect with the business community.

On Sept. 25, 2020, the DTI 7, in partnership with other government stakeholders and the private sector, will conduct a pitch party where more than 10 start-up contact tracing application firms from all over the country will pitch their digital solutions to panelists. (JOB)