BusinessWorld Online
Garin backs more testing for returning workforce
Iloilo Representative Janette Garin is urging employers to test their employees for COVID-19 before they return to work.
She emphasized that 40-50% of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, and 80% of symptomatic cases only have mild symptoms, posing a continued risk.
Garin stated that mandatory testing is a clear necessity to prevent further spread of the virus, as a worker discovered to be infected has the potential to shut down an entire workplace.
She also suggested that companies should be allowed to perform rapid tests because they will be shouldering the cost and it would be easier to conduct contact tracing.
Garin added that both rapid antibody tests and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests are necessary.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
Employees returning to work are not required by their employers to undergo a COVID-19 test, according to Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Read more →
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) reminded local government units (LGUs) that requiring personnel to undergo COVID-19 tests before returning to work is not mandatory.
Read more →
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has begun testing its employees for COVID-19 and is building its own testing laboratory to ensure a safe return to work for its staff.
+1
Read more →
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has reiterated that employers must cover the expenses for COVID-19 testing if they require employees to undergo screening before returning to work.
Read more →
Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez has mandated that all returning public and private employees must undergo COVID-19 testing within one week before reporting for work.
Read more →