Photo by Asian Development Bank on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
For business owners who source and purchase their items in public places, such as Divisoria or other wholesale areas, taking public transport is still the best option nowadays.
Given the worries about COVID, though, is it still safe? Yes, with some precautions. Here are a few pointers to keep you and your goods safe when on the road.
Dress to stay safe.
Wearing clothes in light, breathable fabric will help you get through a long day of commuting, especially if you're headed for an outdoor street market. Please wear a mask as soon as you step outdoors, and when you are in a public vehicle.
Bring only the essentials.
Stash your things inside a sturdy but washable bag. Keep a separate resealable, preferably plastic, bag inside your main bag, which will contain the items that you use most often—think house keys, mobile phone, your wallet.
Consider getting a vehicle for hire, all to yourself.
Physical distancing is still being observed, and while our modes of public transportation are adapting to the new normal, the safest and surest way to observe physical distancing is to keep the number of people inside a vehicle to the bare minimum.
Having a public vehicle to yourself, like a van or mini-truck, will ensure the safety of your goods, especially if you'll be transporting fragile items. Remember to recoup your transportation expenses by spreading out the cost to the items you bought--buy as many as you can in one go!
Triple your expected travel time.
Since not all modes of transportation are allowed on the road just yet, commuters are still finding their footing on how to catch a ride.
If you will be taking the train, jeep, or other public modes of transport, manage your expectations about how long it will take you to get to your destination. Stay updated with the latest news from the Metro Manila Development Authority (Facebook, Twitter) for any changes in transportation guidelines along your preferred route.
Choose your vehicle wisely.
When you manage to catch a ride, do your part! Sanitize your seat with a quick spritz of alcohol, from top to bottom, or bring a piece of plastic to sit on.
If the vehicle you catch isn't observing physical distancing, or no safety guards are in place , let it go and catch the next one. Even if it’s just going to be a short ride, staying inside an enclosed space for a period of time might be all it takes for you to catch the virus.
If you followed all of these precautions, congratulations! You’ve done all you could to keep yourself and your goods safe. Once you’re ready to ship out your inventory, choose a business solutions provider such as Entrego, a technology-driven, end-to-end fulfillment and logistics solutions provider in the Philippines, to do it for you.
Entrego's riders follow strict health and safety measures. Each rider wears a mask and disposable gloves, and stays one meter away from the customer at all times to observe contactless delivery.
To do electronic proof of delivery, the rider disinfects the phone before handing it to the customer for signing, and disinfects it again when the customer hands it back. Riders also disinfect their hands before and after each delivery, also when receiving their packages from the dispatcher.
You can be sure that Entrego will handle your inventory with the utmost care, and has your health and safety in mind.
