Cotabato City gov’t employees required weekly antigen tests

COTABATO CITY – The city government has ordered a weekly rapid antigen test for free among its 2,565 employees to further curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) here. 

In a memorandum issued on Tuesday by City Administrator Danda Juanday by the authority of Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, all personnel are directed to undergo the saliva antigen test every Monday, the first workday of the week. 

“Correspondingly, all tested negative shall be given a wristband that will serve as passport before entering the city hall premises,” the order said. 

Juanday said the wristband would only be good for a week. 

He said clients transacting business at the city hall are required to undergo the same rapid test. 

“Guards on duty are directed to check if personnel and clients are wearing their wristbands,” Juanday said in the same order. 

The city engineering office is currently temporarily closed for disinfection after several of its employees tested positive for the virus, he said. 

Juanday said antigen test results could be reported within 15 minutes. 

Health workers will be at the city hall’s lobby to administer the tests. 

The order is set for full implementation on June 14. 

Halima Satol-Ibrahim, city information officer, said the local government is on skeleton workforce mode in all departments of the city government. 

“We have been working on shifts or at the minimum since the increase in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks,” she said. 

The city is among the few areas in the country recently announced by President Rodrigo Duterte to shift to the stricter general community quarantine status due to the spike in Covid-19 cases. 

Since Tuesday night, the city has recorded a total of 236 active cases. (PNA)