BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
The scheduled surveillance testing on over 400 members of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office has been cancelled, city executive assistant Ernie Pineda said yesterday.
Pineda said they failed to conduct the planned testing because of inadequate coronavirus test kits.
They will push through with the plan once enough testing kits are secured, he said.
Aside from BTAO personnel, policemen and riders of door-to-door delivery services were also expected to join the surveillance testing at the Bacolod Arts and Youth Center last weekend.
Last week, two policemen and two riders of delivery services tested positive for Covid in the surveillance testing conducted on them late November.
Meanwhile, the Emergency Operations Center Task Force held a virtual meeting recently with representatives from Business Process Outsourcing firms to discuss various concerns this holiday season amid the pandemic.
City Administrator Em Ang, deputy administrator of EOC-TF, said that among the matters discussed was the observance of minimum public health standards by BPO firms.
Ang said the BPOs were advised against holding huge gatherings as the employees will have a high risk of contracting the virus.
She said the BPO representatives committed to adhere to the health and safety protocols.
Ang also said the workforce has been severely affected by this crisis, therefore, all sectors of society – including businesses, employers and social partners – must play a role in order to protect workers, their families and the community at large. Aside from the BPO representatives, City Health officer-in-charge Dr. Edwin Miraflor, and Drs. Hector Gayares Jr. and Chris Sorongon, EOC deputies for medical, also attended the meeting.*
