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Three Senate catering employees get COVID-19, Sotto orders stricter health protocols

Philippines | National

Three Senate catering employees get COVID-19, Sotto orders stricter health protocols

By Vanne Elaine Terrazola

The Senate will be implementing stricter health protocols after three of its in-house caterers tested positive for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Monday, March 15.

Sotto also said that Senate plenary sessions will only be held until 6 p.m.

The three catering employees yielded positive for coronavirus infection in RT-PCR tests conducted last weekend, prompting the Senate leadership to close for 14 days the senators' executive lounge and the canteen for disinfection and sanitation.

"We will remain in semi-lockdown. will most probably end sessions by 6 p.m. Health protocols will be stricter," he said in a text message sent to reporters.

"We cannot not continue work because we have two weeks before and there are many bills from the that we need to act on," he continued, adding that he, too, should be present in plenary sessions at all time as "sessions are not official if there is no senator in the Senate physically president." The Senate has been on "semi-lockdown" since March last year and has been operating with a skeletal workforce, while hearings and sessions are conducted via teleconference.

Visitors are not allowed unless they undergo RT-PCR test and are negative of the infection.

In a radio interview last Saturday, Sotto said he will ask his colleagues to end sessions early so that employees who are in Senate will also have the time to travel home as the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. unified curfew hours in Metro Manila take effect Monday.

Five senators previously contracted COVID-19 and have recovered from the infection: Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Ramon "Bong" Revilla" and Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa.

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