Kia Philippines sets guidelines for reopening post-ECQ

Kia Philippines, under the Ayala Corporation, has announced that the brand is making the necessary preparations to reopen once the government lifts the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), and business can resume. The company is also putting certain measures to be followed once dealers are operational. 

Kia Philippines’ Post-ECQ dealer preparation guidelines involve a thorough checklist of the places that are to be cleaned, along with the cleaning agents that are to be used. All areas will be sanitized, like the offices, reception, customer areas, as well as the vehicles that are to be serviced and test-driven. 

Kia employees will also follow a 9-step Guide for Employee Preparation. A Dealer Health and Safety representative will be assigned to check employee health with COVID-19 rapid testing kits, which will be mandatory for all employees every two weeks. Carpools and shuttle services will also be present to make sure employees don’t take public transportation. A thermal scan will also be conducted, and a ‘no mask no entry’ policy will be enforced. Handing out business cards and other paraphernalia will be discouraged, and flexible working hours, shifting or skeletal workforce and staggered break time schedules will be set to keep the number of people in the office to a minimum.

Customers who wish to view a Kia vehicle in the showroom must set an appointment with their sales agent in order to avoid a large number of people from being present in the establishment at any given time. Clients must wear a face mask and adhere to proper sanitary measures, and maintain a physical distance of two meters at all times. For test drives, all units will be sanitized before and after use and will be guaranteed to be safe. 

Maintenance and servicing will continue, with all employees following the 9-step Guide for Employee Preparation. All vehicles will be sanitized pre- and post-service, but Kia Philippines stated that customers should expect some delays since extra steps will be taken in order to ensure the health and safety of all. 

These guidelines will serve as Kia Philippines’ standard operating procedure moving forward to ensure proper hygiene and sanitation is always present in all areas. “Our dealer network must strictly follow the safety protocols, guidelines and regulations issued by the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). As we prepare for the resumption of dealer operations, we assure everyone that our showrooms and facilities are safe for both our employees and customers,” Aligada further stressed in his statement. 

Starting May 4, 2020, Kia Dealers in Visayas and Mindanao will resume operations from Monday to Saturdays. Kia Dumaguete, Kia Leyte, and Kia General Santos will all be open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Meanwhile, Kia Cagayan de Oro and Kia Iligan will be open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Kia Butuan will also be open now and will operate from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.