TACLOBAN CITY - As the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases continued to surge, An Waray Party-list Rep. Florencio Noel urged the business sector to have their employees tested for the virus.
"Local government units (LGUs) should require establishments to have their employees tested for safety," he said.
He added that any test that can detect infection or antibodies as a preventive measure in establishments or offices for free at least twice a month would acceptable.
"It is expensive but necessary. LGUs should take measures into their own hands," he urged.
He noted that being a public official and a businessman himself, it was the business sector’s social responsibility to conduct the testing of its employees.
According to Noel, to set an example, he would subject his employees to in-house antigen testing twice a month for their safety, and that of their clients.
Noel also lauded the LGUs in their COVID-19 response despite their meager resources amid the increasing number of infections.
He said that the higher number of cases in the region could be attributed to the increased testing capacity with three COVID-19 testing laboratories located in Tacloban and Ormoc City.
As of January 1, Eastern Visayas now has a total of 11,396 COVID-19 cases with 131 deaths. Of which, 769 are active and 10,496 have recovered.