Two more House employees have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the number of reported COVID-19 cases in the House to 78 Friday.
A security detail and a library staff were the latest to test positive for the dreaded disease at the House.
The Office of the Secretary General disclosed that the security staff reported for work on Sept. 7 and 9, “rendering mostly office duties at their barracks.”
The second to test positive is an employee from the Legislative Library Service.
“She has been working from home since July 24. She experienced symptoms after taking care of her brother who was confined at a hospital due to some injuries,” said the House.
Aside from them, Gabriela partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas disclosed she caught COVID-19. She announced her condition two days earlier on Wednesday.
Despite her condition, Brosas still actively participates in the on-going budget hearings being conducted by the House Committee on Appropriations.
Brosas interpellated officials of the Department of Health who presented the agency’s proposed 2021 budget Friday.
Budget hearings being conducted by the appropriations panel chaired by ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap have continued despite the continued rise in COVID-19 cases in the House.
Plenary session have not been suspended although House officials continue to assure the public that health and safety protocols are strictly being implemented.