BREAKING: Another House employee tests positive for COVID-19

Facade of the House of Representatives (Phot from the Congress website)

MANILA, Philippines — Another employee of the House of Representatives has been tested positive for the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), House Secretary-General Jose Luis Montales said Tuesday.

Montales said that the employee was also from the House’s Printing Service—the same office where the House employee who died from the disease last Sunday worked.

“We were advised that another employee from our Printing Service tested positive for COVID-19. He last reported for work on March 5. He went on leave on March 6, and was admitted to the hospital on March 7,” Montales said in a text message.

The employee was initially diagnosed to have dengue before undergoing tests for COVID-19.

“The doctors later tested him for COVID-19 on March 12 and 14, and the results just came out today,” Montales said.

The employee becomes the second confirmed COVID-19 case in the lower chamber. On Sunday, the first case of COVID-19 in the House passed away.

Montales earlier announced that work is suspended in House from March 16 until April 12.

Some offices, however, shall observe a rotating skeletal workforce during the said suspension.

These offices include the Office of the Sergeant at Arms – Legislative Security Bureau, Finance Department, Engineering and Physical Facilities Department, and Information Communications Technology Service.

“Let us follow the HRep safety protocols, the community quarantine, and the social distancing guidelines,” Montales said.

“We reiterate our request for everyone to stay calm. The spread of this disease can be controlled with everyone’s cooperation,” he added.

As part of its measures to prevent the spread of the virus, 11 buildings of the Batasan Complex underwent sanitation and disinfection.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province in late 2019.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.

The virus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but can cause serious illness such as pneumonia for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.

Coronavirus is a family of viruses, which surfaces have a crown-like appearance. The viruses are named for the spikes on their surfaces.

Edited by JPV