RT-PCR test not mandatory for partially vaxxed on-site workers

MANILA – Partially-vaccinated employees tasked to do on-site work are not required to take regular reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, Malacañang said on Friday.

The new testing protocol for on-site workers was contained in the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF-EID) Resolution 149 approved Thursday, said acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles in a virtual press briefing.

“All partially vaccinated employees in the public and private sector tasked to do on-site work need not undergo regular RT-PCR testing at their own expense, as long as their second dose is not yet due,” Nograles, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson, said.

According to IATF-EID Resolution 148-B issued on November 11, on-site workers are required to be fully vaccinated.

Under the previous resolution, on-site workers who remain to be unvaccinated should not be terminated but must take RT-PCR tests “regularly at their own expense.”

Citing the latest IATF-EID’s resolution, Nograles said the regular RT-PCR tests for purposes of on-site work should be done “at least once every two weeks”.

“Ang employer ang magsasabi kung gaano kadalas ang RT-PCR testing para sa mga empleyado na hindi pa fully vaccinated na nasa onsite (The employer will determine how frequent the RT-PCR testing for on-site employees still unvaccinated
should be). And this should be done at least once every two weeks,” he said.

On-site capacities for gov’t workers

Nograles said the IATF-EID, in its Resolution 149, also approved new on-site capacities for government workers.

He said the on-site capacities for government agencies and instrumentalities located in areas under Alert Levels 4, 3, and 2 are 40 percent, 60 percent, and 80 percent, respectively.

Nograles added that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) may proportionally increase public transport capacity to complement the increase of on-site capacities in government offices.

“Tinaasan din ng IATF ang public transport capacity para magkaroon ng sapat na masasakyan (The IATF allowed the increase in transport capacity to provide sufficient modes of transportation),” he said.