The Davao City government is no longer requiring a negative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) or a negative antigen test to get health cards from the City Health Office.
As announced by Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte over the Davao City Disaster Radio Special Hour Program on Monday, the Covid-19 Task Force has agreed to lift the requirement for negative RT-PCR or antigen test that has been required by the city since September 2021 through Resolution No. 35-A of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force to ensure the health safety of workforce in every establishment.
“It was agreed upon na tanggalon na ang testing dinha sa pagkuha og health card nato. Wala na ang RT-PCR test or Antigen Test na required kung magkuha ka og health card or magrenew ka og health card dinhi sa City Government of Davao, sa City Health Office (It was agreed that the testing will be removed as a requirement for the health card. RT-PCR test or the Antigen test that will not be required to get health card or renewal of it under the City Health Office of the City Government of Davao),” Mayor Sara said.
The mayor said that the lifting of the requirement is due to the limited capacity of the city to provide free tests.
“Ang reason is because daghan sila kaayo and there are not enough tests na libre gikan sa City Government of Davao nga mo-cover sa tanang magkuha og health card. The purpose of this is surveillance so gi-shift nato kani na surveillance didto nalang mismo sa establishments depending on the capacity or the allotted test for the surveillance. Mao na ang reason. And the third reason is that it has been reported nga ginapasa sa empleyado ang cost sa testing nila para makakuha sila og health card (The reason for this is that the [applicants] are too many and there are not enough free tests from the City Government to cover all of them. The purpose of this [health card requirement] is surveillance, so we shifted our surveillance to the establishment depending upon the capacity or the allotted test for the surveillance. Those are the reasons. The third reason is that it has been reported that the cost of the test is passed on to employees for them to get a health card),” she said.
Mayor Sara added that the responsibility of the surveillance should be shouldered by the employers because it is their interest that will be heavily affected if the number of cases will spread among the workforce.
“Employers should be responsible enough nga naa sila’y surveillance sa mga employees nila nga dunay symptoms. Because kung pasagdan nila ni muabot ang panahon nga tanan na magkasakit and it would really affect their business. So, it is very important, gina-highlight nato sa tanan nato nga businesses nga duna’y regular surveillance testing to avoid the situation nga wala na’y empleyado, na ma-lockdown mo because sa kadaghan sa cases (Employers should be responsible enough to have surveillance of the employees with symptoms. Because if this is taken for granted, more will get sick and it would really affect their business. So, it is very important, and we highlight for all the businesses to have regular surveillance testing to avoid the lack of manpower and lockdown of offices due to a high number of Covid-19 cases),” she said.
Meanwhile, based on the latest data, the city already implemented the lockdown of a building due to a high number of Covid-19 cases.
The city is already experiencing a surge of Covid-19 cases and may see a further increase in cases in the coming weeks. CIO
