Business establishments, government offices, and schools in Antique province are required to provide hand-washing facilities for their clients following an ordinance passed by the provincial board.

“I sponsored the ordinance considering that hand washing is one of the best preventions against the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19),” Provincial Board member Noel Alamis said in an interview Friday.

Entitled “Ordinance Requiring All Private Commercial and Government Establishments in the Province of Antique to Provide and Designate Area for Hand Washing Facilities for their Customers, Providing Mechanisms for its Enforcement and Determining Penalties for Non-Compliance” was co-sponsored by board members Dr. Mayella Mae Plameras Ladislao and Alfie Jay O. Niquia.

The ordinance, passed last June 25 and is expected to take effect 60 days after its publication, could also help instill discipline among people to regularly wash their hands for their protection.

“The handwashing facility will be near the main door with the establishments providing hand soap and clean water,” he said.

Meanwhile, owners of commercial establishments and heads of government offices, as well as school principals, must see to it that the ordinance is implemented.

“Non-compliance (with) the ordinance will have commensurate fines,” Alamis said, adding that there will be a warning for the first offense; a fine of PHP1,000 for the second offense; and PHP2,500 for the third offense.

A monitoring and evaluation task force will be created to check the implementation of the ordinance at the provincial level.

“Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao will head the monitoring and evaluation task force at the provincial level with the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) as co-chairperson and the Provincial Planning and Development Office as secretariat,” he said.

The members of the task force will be the Provincial Board chair of the committee on trade, commerce and industry, Department of Trade and Industry provincial director, the head of the Provincial Economic Enterprise Development Office, Philippine National Police provincial director, Department of Education superintendent, and Antique Chamber of Commerce and Industry president. (PNA)