Sara said 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 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 a health card or renewal of it under the City Health Office of the City Government of Davao,”Sara said.
The mayor cited the reason for the lifting of the requirement is due to the limited capacity of the city to provide free tests.
"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.
Sara emphasized 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 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.
Sara, meanwhile, confirmed the surge of COVID-19 cases in the city and is expected to continue until the middle of March.
The city, according to the latest data, has already implemented the lockdown of 822 houses including one building, and one compound due to a high number of COVID-19 cases.
Up to 1,112 health personnel are utilized in these lockdowns, she said.
According to her, out of 2,806 quarantine beds, 889 are still available as of Jan. 23.