Govt’s reliance on private sector for mass testing a recipe for disaster — Group

MANILA, Philippines – A group who has advocated for safe work areas has slammed the government’s decision to leave mass COVID-19 testing of private sector workers to their employers, claiming it is a recipe for disaster.

According to the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD), the return to work policies given by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Labor and Employment does not ensure that workers would be safe from the pandemic.

“No mass testing, lax policies on workplace safety, policies that will undermine workers’ health, and lack of employers’ and government accountability. This is a formula for disaster. We fear that with these policies, many workers will be infected and die,” IOHSAD executive director Nadia De Leon said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Workers are risking their lives by going back to work. How can they be sure that they are safe from being infected if there is no assurance that their health will be monitored, mass testing will be conducted, and prevention measures will be strictly implemented in workplaces?” she asked.

After the government lifted lockdown measures placed to avoid local transmission of the latest coronavirus strain, companies and other private enterprises were allowed to resume operation, although some would be limited to just 50 percent.

In Metro Manila and other areas which are under a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), Malacañang has provided a list of business that can start operating after the two-month ECQ.

However, when pressed whether workers would be subjected to mass testing before returning to work, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that it would be up to the private sector, as the government does not have the capacity to do it.

A day later, Roque clarified that the Philippine government — like others worldwide — cannot do a mass testing program. Rather, what they currently have is an expanded targeted testing mode.

On the other hand, the Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said last Monday that returning employees are not required to undergo a COVID-19 test to be allowed to work again.

IOSHAD insists that mass testing should be the government’s responsibility, because not all business owners may conduct these programs as it is considered as an additional expense, while other medium to small enterprises may simply lack the capacity to purchase testing kits.

“Workers’ safety from COVID-19 is a government responsibility. We are worried that the present guidelines fall short of ensuring workers’ occupational safety and health rights and therefore put workers’ lives in danger,” De Leon explained.

“These issuances clearly show the government’s gross neglect of workers’ health and safety. It has totally placed workers’ lives in the hands of private employers who prioritize profit over workers’ health and safety, and small employers who do not have the necessary resources,” she added.

Earlier, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque said that the Philippines is already experiencing a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as cases surge to 13,221, with 842 deaths and 2,932 recoveries.

Worldwide, over 4.907 million persons have been infected, with 323,392 deaths and 1.848 million recoveries.