By Jhon Aldrin Casinas
The Pasig City government is eyeing to require returning employees to undergo rapid testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto
(KEVIN TRISTAN ESPIRITU / MANILA BULLETIN)
Mayor Vico Sotto said this in a tweet on Monday, in response to reports that Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said workers are not required to take COVID-19 tests before returning to work.
“We want to require rapid testing then confirmatory PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test here in Pasig,” Sotto said.
“The LGU (local government unit) can take care of the confirmatory PCR testing but the problem is where will small companies get rapid test kits? Even our LGU is having a hard time with this. Delays with delivery. Fakes proliferating,” he added.
With the easing of quarantine measures in Metro Manila, scores of workers have returned to work as select industries were allowed to resume operations.
Last week, the Marikina City government started conducting rapid mass testing to some returning workers in the city.
Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said the local government is targeting to test around 6,000 workers in the shoemaking industry, and at least 8,000 industrial employees in the city.
Moreover, the mayor said trash collectors, tricycle drivers, and local government employees will also undergo rapid testing.
He noted that it is important to test employees before allowing them to return to work to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in their respective workplaces, as well as to ensure the safety of all workers.
“In its entirety, what we are looking at here is the balance of safety, health aspect, and economic activity,” Teodoro said.