Gov't OKs in-person technical training for migrant workers in some areas

MANILA -- A task force leading the country's pandemic response has allowed some areas in the country to hold in-person technical skills training for workers heading abroad, Malacañang said Friday. 

Face-to-face trainings by technical vocational institutions and TESDA Technology Institutions for overseas Filipino workers are allowed in areas under general community quarantine or lower, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, citing resolution 78 of the inter-agency task force. 

"This forms part of our assistance to workers who already have employment opportunities. These include trainings and assessments for domestic work, caregiver, housekeeping qualifications and ship’s catering," he said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, dive establishments in specific areas under GCQ or modified GCQ, like Batangas and others identified by the tourism department, "may accept recreational divers as guests, who are from areas under GCQ or lower," he added. 

The DOT shall issue the necessary guidelines in coordination with the interior department, the police and local governments, said Roque. 

The IATF has also directed sub-technical working groups to "convene a meeting to formulate unified recommendations concerning guidelines applicable to areas that may eventually placed under the New Normal," he said. 

The meeting will include experts from the health department and medical professionals, Roque said. 

The Philippines has confirmed 331,869 coronavirus infections as of Thursday. It has the highest caseload in Southeast Asia, according to a dashboard by the Johns Hopkins University.