Give A4 workers random swab tests – TUCP

MANILA, Philippines — To know the extent of COVID-19 infections among the workers, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) yesterday asked the government and employers to subject them to randomized reverse transcript-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.

In a statement, TUCP said these swab tests are vital to the detection and control of COVID-19 among the A4 priority group, especially now that the Philippines has 11 local cases of the more transmissible Delta variant.

“Employers have to step up and take on the responsibility of testing their workers, lest they further the spread of this Delta variant that could potentially lead the Philippines down the same disastrous path as other countries being ravaged by the new strain,” TUCP Partylist Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza said.

On Friday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported the detection of 16 new cases of Delta variant, 11 of them local cases. This means they do not have history of travels abroad. The five other cases are returning overseas Filipinos.

Mendoza added the country’s testing capacity should be ramped up, especially since the vaccination program started four months ago, covering more than 14 million of the population.

“We have seen that despite the excellent vaccination efforts in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, even fully vaccinated citizens are susceptible to catching this virus. We have only begun our vaccination program,” he said.

He added having “robust, rigorous and rapid testing is key to saving the economy.”

The group has cautioned against a “knee-jerk lockdown of whole cities as more Delta cases emerge.”

“TUCP feels such a one-size-fits-all response will further dampen economic recovery and increase the stress on our already heavily-burdened institutions of public assistance,” Mendoza maintained.