Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21) — Employees of the Quezon City government who worked during the city’s enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period will be prioritized for COVID-19 testing, the mayor said Sunday.
“We will maximize all available resources within the bounds of the guidelines issued by the national government,” Belmonte said.
“Uunahin muna natin ang ating mga tauhan na pumasok noong ECQ dahil mas malaki ang tsansa na sila’y maaring na-expose sa virus,” she added.
[Translation: We will first test our staff who went to work during ECQ because there is a greater chance they were exposed to the virus.]
Quezon City officials said they will test their employees from June 22 to 26 in a site within the city hall compound.
Based on the guidelines released by the city’s COVID-19 community-based testing, employees who were involved in social amelioration program payouts and packing of relief goods will be prioritized for testing.
They said staff members who were physically present during the ECQ, including personnel from the Office of the City Mayor, Office of the City Administrator, Business Permits Licensing Department, City Treasurer’s Office, Tourism, Assessor’s Office, City Architect’s Department, Department of Building Official and Engineering Department, will also be given priority.
Others who will be given priority include employees of the City Health Department (CHD), Quezon City Medical Center, Rosario Maclang Bautista General Hospital, Novaliches District Hospital, Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS), Public Affairs and Information Services Department (PAISD), Market Development and Administration Department (MDAD), Transport and Traffic Management Taskforce, Barangay and Community Relations Department (BCRD), Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD), General Services Department (GSD), Social Services and Development Department (SSDD), Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), and Radio Communications Service.
Meanwhile, employees of other departments who were not on duty during the enhanced community quarantine will be tested depending on the availability of test kits.
According to the Quezon City government, employees covered by the guidelines will be required to submit a digital Self-Assessment Form from its health department through email to avoid close contact and ensure ease of processing.
The CHD, headed by Dr. Esperanza Arias, will review and assess the forms submitted by the employees.
“Employees must ensure that their declared mobile number on the form is reachable, in case of clarifying matters and follow-up assessment,” Arias said in a statement.
Arias said employees who test positive for IgM anti-bodies through the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) will be required to undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for confirmation.
“All personnel tested positive to IgM+ on RDT and symptomatic must undergo mandatory quarantine, either through home isolation or in one of the HOPE Community Caring Facilities, while waiting for the PCR result,” Arias said.
Symptomatic employees will immediately undergo RT-PCR testing without RDT, she added.
Belmonte assured government employees that time spent under quarantine of personnel will not be deducted from their sick leave.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said that while the city government wanted to test all of its employees for the disease, the amended guidelines of the inter-agency task force have discouraged it to avoid the depletion of available test kits and testing resources.
