Libre na ring makakakuha ng COVID-19 confirmatory test ang mga manggagawa sa hospitality, tourism at manufacturing sector, ayon sa isang joint memorandum na nilagdaan ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) at Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Sa ilalim ng Joint Memorandum Circular 20-04, nakasaad na pati mga frontliners at economic priority employees ay dapat ding makatanggap ng libreng real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
Partikular na tinutukoy ng kasunduan ang mga manggagawa sa sektor ng:
-Tourist zones
-Local manufacturing companies
-Transport and logistics
-Food retail
-Education
-Financial services
-Non-food retail
-Services
-Public market
-Construction
-Water supply
-Sewerage
-Waste management
-Public sector
-Mass media
Sa ilalim ng guidelines, ang mga empleyado sa hospitality at tourism sector ng Boracay, Coron, El Nido, Panglao, Siargao at iba pang kinikilalang tourist zone ng Department of Tourism ay dapat magpa-test kada apat na linggo.
Ang mga manggagawa naman sa manufacturing companies at iba pang public service providers sa economic zones at Special Concern Areas ay kada-quarter ang inirerekomendang test. Pareho rin ang utos para sa frontline at economy priority workers.
“Sick leave benefits, medical insurance coverage, including supplemental pay allowance, for COVID 19 RT-PCR test-confirmed employees or close contacts made to undergo a 14-day quarantine must also be provided to workers,” ayon sa DOLE.
Nitong Sabado, August 15 pa nagsimulang maging epektibo ang JMC.
Sinabi ni Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello III, sakop din ng kasunduan nila ng DTI ang lahat ng establisyemento, proyekto, sites at iba pang lugar na may trabahong kinalaman sa ekonomiya, maliban sa pampublikong sektor.
“This is so far the most comprehensive set of guidelines for the safety and protection of workers and employees in workplaces. The strict observance of these health protocols will make a big difference in our long-drawn battle to defeat COVID-19 and ensure the productivity of the Filipino workforce,” ani Bello.
