THE Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Thursday, June 17, 2021, increased the annual deployment ceiling for new hire healthcare workers (HCWs) for mission critical skills (MCS) to 6,500.
HCWs falling under MCS with perfected contracts as of May 31, 2021, shall form part of the adjusted ceiling.
Healthcare workers under government-to-government labor agreements shall, however, be exempted from this adjusted ceiling.
The IATF also moved the effectivity date of the implementation of the testing and shortened quarantine protocols for inbound travelers who were fully vaccinated in the Philippines to June 22, 2021.
The policy-making body also reiterated the strict enforcement of current testing and quarantine protocols for inbound international travelers in all ports of the country, regardless of any specific protocols that may be issued by the local government units.
Member-agencies of the National Task Force Against Covid-19, specifically the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Health and the Bureau of Quarantine, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Labor and Employment and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, among others, with their respective regional offices, attached agencies, and government-owned and controlled corporations, have been instructed to ensure strict adherence to the above-mentioned directive.
Finally, the IATF revisited the use of face shields and resolved to recommend to the President the mandatory wearing of face shields in enclosed/indoor spaces of hospitals, schools, workplaces, commercial establishments (such as but not limited to food establishments, malls and public markets), public transport and terminals, and places of worship. (PR)