By Jun Ramirez
Officials and employees of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) started yesterday undergoing rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) tests as they returned to their work after the government reclassified Metro Manila and most part of the country under general community quarantine (GCQ).
The 3,000 personnel in the national office in Quezon City were the first to submit to the medical checkup.
In a memorandum, BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay said the medical examination is being done to protect the health of "our people and clients" from the spread of the lethal virus.
Ancillary personnel like security guards and janitors are also included in the tests.
Technicians from the Department of Health are conducting the medical procedure which will later be extended to cover regional and district offices all over the country.
Insiders said there is an urgent need to test all the 11,000 revenuers nationwide as the filing of the 2019 income tax returns (ITR) nears.
They expressed apprehension that the social distancing protocol might not be properly observed when taxpayers rush to file returns.
"Thousands of taxpayers have the habit of filing ITRs at last minute, hence overcrowding at the filing centers could not be avoided ," one worried official stated.
The BIR said the June 15 deadline will no longer be extended.