Twelve tellers and a cash assistant of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) have been infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on Monday, March 29.
The infected staff were assigned assigned at the rail line's Santolan, Ortigas, and Cubao stations, the DOTr said in a statement Sunday, March 28.
"These personnel have been isolated since being identified via contact tracing, and are all now in quarantine. In addition, contact tracing has also been conducted," the department added.
Transportation Asec. Goddess Libiran said a total of 114 personnel from the three stations that were identified during contact tracing immediately took reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
"The close contacts of the (COVID) positive personnel have not been permitted to work and have been placed under quarantine while waiting for the results of their swab tests," she added.
DOTr said MRT-3 has been implementing measures to minimize contact between individuals at the station, especially between tellers and passengers, since last year amid the persisting threat of COVID-19.
Libiran said that all MRT-3 tellers and station personnel wear full protective gear, including face mask, face shield, gloves, and gowns to avoid contact with passengers.
The upcoming Holy Week maintenance shutdown will also be utilized to perform COVID-19 swab tests on all MRT exposed personnel, the department said.
"This will ensure readiness of our personnel to resume operations and to serve the riding public as scheduled on Monday, April 5," the DOTr added.