THE Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE 7) still has to wait for the decision from its central office on whether it would continue requiring unvaccinated employees in places under Alert Levels 1 and 2 to undergo Covid-19 testing before they could go back to work onsite under the new administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Malacañang had earlier announced that employees in places under Alert Levels 1 and 2 who would go back to onsite work should undergo Covid-19 testing.
“We should be getting the stand from the central office on this. Whatever is the decision of the new administration, then that will be cascaded to the regional offices,” Dole 7 information officer Luchel Taniza said.
Taniza said they are still waiting for new Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma to give an update on the Covid-19 guidelines for employees.
Taniza added that if their central office will issue labor advisories, it will follow what is mandated by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, outgoing presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar announced that unvaccinated workers who are required to work onsite in private and government entities in areas under Alert Levels 1 and 2 must undergo Covid-19 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction testing once every two weeks or weekly antigen test.
Government agencies and local government units may cover the cost of Covid-19 testing of their unvaccinated employees, subject to availability of funds and civil service, accounting and auditing rules and regulations, Andanar added.
(PAC / TPT)