Health protocols to be observed in Dolomite beach reopening —DENR

Minimum public health standards will be strictly implemented once the Manila Dolomite Beach reopens to the public, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Friday.

At the Laging Handa press briefing, DENR  officer-in-charge Jim Sampulna said the agency will follow the guidelines issued by the country’s pandemic task force to ensure public health safety in the man-made beach.

This will include wearing of face masks, social distancing, and limiting of visitors allowed at a certain period.

“We refer to the IATF guidelines. Social distancing, maglalagay ng (wearing of) face mask,” Sampulna said.

“'Wag natin masyadong punuin 'yun. Kasi minsan na-compromise ang social distancing pag hindi natin na-control ang mga pumapasok.  Tingnan natin ang capacity ng area na hindi naman nagkukumpulan ang mga tao,” he said.

(We will not allow it to be filled to its full capacity. Social distancing will be compromised if we will not be able to control the entry of people. Let's study the capacity of the area to prevent that.)

The environment agency previously ordered the closing of the Dolomite beach to give way for its rehabilitation. It is set to reopen after the Holy Week.

Earlier in the day, Sampulna personally visited the area to check on the progress of the rehabilitation work .

The DENR wants to make the white sand beach “swimmable” before the end of the Duterte administration — a scenario only possible if its water quality standard reaches 100 most probable number (mpn) per 100 milliliters (mL).

Latest data from the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO) showed that the coliform level in the Baywalk area notably decreased from an average of 21,100 mpn per 100 ml at the third quarter of 2021 from 5.75 million mpn per 100 mL in 2019.

Sampulna said DENR  is “near” the target stressing its continuous rehabilitation efforts including the inspection of nearby establishments to check for water waste management compliance.

“Ang ating mpn from billions ay malapit-lapit na tayo sa target na pamantayan. Itong 100 (mpn),” he said.

(We are near our target. From billions, we are near the standard of 100 mpn per 100 ml.)

Sampulna said the DENR eyes to finish the expansion of the man-made beach by April.—AOL, GMA News