(Eagle News)–Over 30 individuals have tested positive in the second mass testing conducted by the House of Representatives.
House Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza said the 34 out of 2848 individuals who were tested translate to a positivity rate of only 1.19 percent.
He said this was “way below the 5-percent positivity rate recorded during the first mass testing.”
In the first mass testing since Rep. Lord Velasco assumed the Speakership, 98 out of 2000 tested positive for COVID-19.
All of them have so far recovered.
According to Mendoza, most of the 34 cases were asymptomatic and have been isolated.
Contact tracing was also underway.
Mendoza said the decline in the COVID-19 cases was due to the effective COVID-19 management in the House.
Nonetheless, he said “because of the new strain, we cannot be complacent.”
“Speaker Velasco said we must continue or even intensify our efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially now that a new variant of coronavirus is gaining a foothold in the country,” he said.
He said visitors are required to present a negative antigen test before entering the complex.
Individuals entering the House are also required to wear face masks and face shields.
They should also pass through thermal scanners and disinfection machines and observe physical distancing.