‘They spend less time in the office’: DOH defends relaxed health rules for gov’t workers

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday defended the less stringent health restrictions for government employees on official business, saying government officials and personnel only spend a few hours in offices.

“Ang unang-unang rationale dito kaya natin ito ginagawa, usually, for business purposes, ang mga government officials, pupunta lang din sa umaga, uuwi rin sa hapon,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press conference, reacting to presidential spokesman Harry Roque’s recent announcement on excluding testing for government workers.

(The rationale here is that usually for government officials, they will just go to their offices in the morning and just go home in the afternoon.)

“Mayroon din po talagang mag-ste-stay lang din for a number of hours only and then they leave also. Ito [ay] para magexpedite at expeditious ang transaction ng government officials,” she added.

(Some will stay for a number of hours only and then they leave also. This is to allow expeditious transaction of government officials.)

But Vergeire said the government will assure the public that its officials will still comply with “minimum public health standards and will undergo a screening process.”

Roque earlier announced that government employees on official business can travel without Covid-19 testing and quarantine protocols of their destination’s local government units.

He also said government officials are excluded from testing and quarantine protocols “as long as they can present valid IDs issued by their respective government agency and an original or a certified true copy of the Travel Authority/Order issued by the Department Secretary or his/her designated official.”

Government personnel must also pass the symptom screen at the point of their destination or upon boarding public transportation.

To date, Philippines documented a total of 531,699 Covid-19 infections with 32,775 active cases, 10,997 fatalities and 487,927 recoveries.

EDV