BACOLOD CITY – Three local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental have ordered their government employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or they will be required to undergo RT-PCR test at their own expense to report for work.
Mayor Nicholas Yulo issued a memorandum encouraging all Bago City officials and city government employees to get vaccinated in compliance with the national Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) Resolution No. 148-B.
Yulo said that city government employees who are not vaccinated starting December 15, 2021 will be required to present a negative RT- PCR test every 15 days.
Non-presentation of a negative swab test result shall mean the employee failed to undergo the required test and may not be admitted to work.
Antigen tests may be resorted to when RT-PCR capacity capacity is insufficient or not immediately available.
For Cadiz City, unvaccinated employees shall also be required to do the same test or rapid antigen test and submit it on a weekly basis at the first hour of the first business day of every week, starting Dec 1, 2021. Failure to do so, the employee may be considered absent.
All employees and consultants must submit their vaccination cards or vaccination certificates to their respective department heads or supervisors.
Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr., in a memorandum, said that such mandate aims to ensure the health and safety of all their clients and co-workers in the government.
Toboso town Mayor Richard Jaojoco also required their employees to submit vaccination cards when they report to work effective Dec. 16, 2021.
If not, the employee will need to also submit a negative RT-PCR test result.
Jaojoco, in his social media post, said that employees who fail to follow the directive will be penalized in accordance with the guidelines set by the IATF.
“No work, no pay policy will be enforced for job order employees which means if they are unvaccinated they will be marked absent for every day that they can't show a negative RT-PCR test results or a vaccination card,” the mayor said.
He also warned the job order employees that their contracts will not be renewed by January 2022 if they remain unvaccinated.