News

Following the mandate implemented by the office of the president of the Philippines, to put the entire Luzon in “enhanced” community quarantine due to the rapid spread of the Corona virus in the region, the leadership of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD) decided that its employees will work remotely for two weeks starting March 16 until March 27, 2020. This action through the Administrative Committee of SSD serves as a precautionary response due to the increasing unconfirmed cases related to COVID-19 virus.  
 
The committee emphasized that while employees will spend two weeks working at home, the office will still continue with its regular day to day business implementing some changes in its daily protocol to fit in accordance to the government’s directions on the Corona virus.
 
“Out of a deep desire to do whatever we can to keep our employees healthy and safe during the time of COVID-19 and in order to comply with the spirit of the National and Local Government requests to minimize social contact, SSD will limit work in the office for the next two weeks from March 16 – 27, 2020,’ said SSD Human Resource Director, Kevin Costello.
 
“The campus is closed to non-residents/non-employees. All residents/employees who enter campus should subject themselves to thermal temperature reading by the guards. Packages and deliveries should be left at the guard house and the guard should then call the addressee for pickup,” Costello added.
 
For two consecutive days, the Crisis Management Committee and the Administrative Committee of SSD convened to respond accordingly to the heightened concern of Covid-19 in the community in SIlang, Cavite where the division office is located. An immediate travel ban was implemented to all traveling employees effective immediately until April 14 or until further notice. 
 
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic as of March 11. And as of March 16, 2020, confirmed cases of patients with Corona Virus have reached 142.
 
The objective of this immediate response is to execute possible solutions that will help slow down the spread of the Corona virus in workplaces and communities. Earlier this week, the SSD Health Department issued a health advisory including facts and recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control, on how to respond initially to certain situation where the virus is possibly present.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte raised the status of the entire island of Luzon to a State of Calamity, and ordered a 24 hour/day work-from-home curfew for two weeks, for all people, both in the public and private sectors.   This order affects SSD, AIIAS, 1000 Missionary Movement, Adventist University of the Philippines and all other denominational organizations on the big island of Luzon.