“Gusto namin bigyan ng kapanatagan ang mga Batang Maynila, na ang mga manggagawang nakakahalubilo nila ay mga healthy persons,” Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso said of his office’s latest initiative: mass swab testing for public market vendors, mall and supermarket employees, hotel and restaurant workers, and e-trike, pedicab, tricycle, jeepney and bus drivers.
Utilizing mobile serology testing that the local government used to conduct remote testing in barangays, Manila LGU will physically go to terminals, markets, and other places of work to do swab tests on as many workers as possible.
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“Huwag po kayong mag-alala, we’ll try to reach as many as possible, sa tulong po ng ating bagong RT-PCR molecular laboratory sa Sta. Ana Hospital,” the mayor assured the public.
The Manila Molecular Testing Laboratory at Sta. Ana Hospital is an initiative of the city together with Ayala Group of Companies. It houses two types of molecular laboratories: the Xpress Xpert SARs COV2 Testing Laboratory using cartridges and an RT-PCR molecular laboratory. Cumulatively, the hospital can now process 1,000 swab tests a day or about 30,000 tests a month for the City of Manila.
Domagoso said this new facility will help bolster the city’s mass testing initiative including mobile serology tests, which has so far benefitted over 60,000 individuals. He also emphasized the need to balance public health along with reopening the economy, saying in order for workers to resume their jobs, they need to be tested for COVID-19 first.
“Maraming mga empleyado na babalik na sa trabaho who need to be tested and we have to practice simple medical protocols. So that’s why Manila provided this free testing para maibsan namin iyong gastusin ng mga empleyadong papasok na sa kanilang trabaho,” he said.
The mayor added that this initiative will not be a one-time thing and instead will be done regularly.
Last month, two months after Manila LGU opened various drive-thru testing locations to the public, Domagoso promised to prioritize public market vendors followed by public utility vehicle drivers.
“Matutuwa pa ang vendor, hindi sila gagastos para ma-test, kasi mahirap ang buhay. So, makakatipid na sila, panatag na sila, ’yung consumer natin, panatag din.”
Header image courtesy of Manila Public Information Office
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Writer: CHRISTIAN SAN JOSE
