MAYOR Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said that 46,000 workers in Zamboanga City have lost their jobs brought about by the effects of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Salazar said the data is based on the census and monitoring conducted by the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO).
Salazar said workers lost their jobs because most of the local business establishments have closed because they were severely affected by the pandemic.
Salazar has assured the local government has readied economic packages to give to displaced workers to help sustain their families from hardship.
“The data presented by the CPDO shows that 46,000 workers were affected by the imposition of quarantine measures. Some of the businesses have closed while the rest have cut down the number of employees,” she said.
The mayor, in coordination with the City Council, is looking for alternative measures to help affected workers recover or be employed again.
She said the local Inter-Agency Task Force Covid-19 is trying its best to flatten the curve so that the city will recover economically.
The task force reported that Zamboanga City has a total of 1,526 Covid-19 cases as of September 17, with 999 recoveries.
Of the total, 456 are active cases with 71 deaths, according to the task force. (SunStar Zamboanga)