Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) General Manager Rodolfo Garcia has tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said on Thursday.
MRT director Michael Capati is also infected, but is said to be recovering, he added.
The announcement came after the transportation department announced late Wednesday evening that the MRT-3 depot in Quezon City has been placed under “enhanced access control” since last week after 42 employees tested positive for COVID-19, with one confirmed fatality.
Thirty-six of the 42 affected employees are office personnel, while six are maintenance workers of Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Tugade said the infections are now contained in the rail sector after contact tracing and mass swab testing were conducted among its employees following its first reported case of COVID-19.
He said he has created a pool of personnel that will provide aid in cases of outbreak of COVID-19 infections in the specific sector.
“This is the situation where we balance the health protocols, the health and safety of the passengers as well as the facilities, and helping the economy,” he said.