DoLE warns: Pandemic still here

The Department of Labor and Employment is reminding the labor sector to continue following health and safety protocols implemented by the government to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease.

This, as most of the country's workforce is expected to return for duty after the holiday break.

DoLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma stressed that the agency is set to give reminders to workers to practice health protocols and urged them not to fear going back to work and resume operations within their workplaces.

"I think the Filipino workforce has learned lessons over the last two and a half years, and they will continue to observe strict health protocols. I think we just need to remind them that Covid-19 is still here, but we should not be afraid because we should nearly move on to continue our day-to-day work operations," Laguesma said.

To recall, the Labor department already eased up certain pandemic restrictions following the country's improving condition since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic through an advisory last November on voluntary mask-wearing in private workplaces, except those in the medical field and in public transportation.

However, the country is already taking notice of the potential spread of Covid-19 with the detection of Omicron subvariants BN.1 and BF.7, the latter of which has reportedly caused the ongoing surge of new infections in China.

Previously, the Department of Health said that there's no need yet to close the country's borders to China and tighten restrictions on travelers coming from China.