DOLE: Workers to undergo swab tests

Workers in many sectors will be required to regularly undergo swab tests to prevent the transmission of the new coronavirus that causes the severe respiratory disease COVID-19 in offices and factories, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) said on Sunday.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the tests “must be at no cost to the employees” and should be shouldered by Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Under a joint memorandum issued by the Dole and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), those who will be required to undergo regular real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests are workers in tourist zones, manufacturing companies, transport and logistics, food retail, education and financial services.

To make ‘big difference’

Workers in public markets, construction, water supply, sewerage, waste management, and the media are also required to be tested.

Bello said strict compliance with the guidelines would “make a big difference” in the country’s “long-drawn battle against COVID-19 and ensure the productivity of the Filipino workforce.”

Test quarterly

The guidelines specifically require all workers in the hospitality and tourism industries in El Nido, Boracay, Coron, Panglao, Siargao and other tourist zones identified by the Department of Tourism to be tested once a month.

Employees of manufacturing companies and public service providers in economic zones located within special concern areas must be tested quarterly.

Front-line and economic priority workers in both public and private sectors who have high interaction with and exposure to the public and live or work in special concern areas must also be tested quarterly.

The joint memorandum, which took effect on Saturday, covers all establishments, project sites—including those inside special economic zones and other investment promotion areas—and all other places where there is work in all branches of economic activity, except in the public sector.

Apart from regular testing, the Dole and the DTI also require the wearing of protective masks and face shields and the provision of disinfectants and supplies in strategic parts of offices and factories and on company shuttles.

Benefits

The guidelines also require the payment of sick leave benefits, medical insurance, including supplemental pay allowance, to employees who will test positive or close contacts who will be made to go on 14-day quarantine.

Employers classified as large and medium-size private establishments, or those with total assets worth P15 million, are required to provide shuttle service to their employees, Bello said.

“Adequate ventilation must be strictly enforced inside the workplace. [I]nstallation of exhaust fans and air-filtration devices are also encouraged,” he said.

For the proper management of asymptomatic and symptomatic cases, the guidelines require employers to ensure that employees, regardless of work arrangement, have access to telemedicine services.

Bello urged large and medium-size businesses to provide isolation areas or make arrangements with their local governments with temporary treatment and monitoring centers or barangays for handling COVID-19 cases.