As parts of the country prepare to shift from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to general (GCQ) or modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has released a guide for how business in the motorcycle industry should operate.
Reduced staff
Under these new guidelines, motorcycle dealers, service centers, and shops can reopen but will have to comply with some strict safety standards. Among them are a strict 50% workforce limitation. Only 50% of the regular staff is allowed to be on-site at any time. The rest will have to work from home. Businesses can rotate these personnel as needed. For dealerships that are located in GCQ areas, however, the government said that 100% of the workforce can report for duty, provided that the dealerships will follow strict health protocols and minimum health standards.
New protocols
Besides these, dealers and shops have to implement strict health and sanitation protocols. Wearing of face masks is required at all times, by all individuals. Customers, visitors, suppliers, and staff must all be subjected to temperature checks, hand sanitizing practices, etc.
Any additional measures to ensure customers’ safety and promote contactless transactions between the businesses and customers are highly encouraged.
"Kinakailangan po natin maging flexible dahil ang ating palatuntunan nga po ay hinay-hinay, dahan-dahan, unti-unti. Kapag dumami po ang kaso, babalik at babalik tayo sa ECQ, (We need to be flexible because our principle is little by little. If ever the number of cases grow once again, we will have to return to ECQ)" said Roque.
The new announcement is a welcome development, particularly motorcycle industry business owners. However, this does not mean that all will be open once MECQ or GCQ is implemented. Contact your nearest dealer first before heading to their showroom or service center. These businesses may still be working on plans and procedures to ensure the public’s safety.
Call, check, and schedule before going
Customers will likely be advised to call in advance and schedule an appointment, whether for purchasing or servicing their motorcycle. With the reduced capacity of employees, most of these businesses may not be able to handle the typical amount of transactions as before.
With the National Capital Region (NCR) set to be placed under MECQ starting May 16, certain dealerships in Metro Manila could begin operations. Nonetheless, many of these, particularly from major brands have yet to make formal statements regarding the resumption of operations.
We may have to wait as to which ones will open. We’ll keep you posted.
