Supreme Court starts COVID-19 rapid testing for officials, employees returning to work

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday started conducting rapid testing for COVID-19 for its officials and employees who are returning to work.

Two medical tents were set up in court premises for the testing of employees who are part of the skeleton staff or those required to physically report for work during the community quarantine. The justices and court officials were tested in the Dignitaries Lounge.

Tests will be conducted daily by the court's medical personnel until all SC employees have undergone rapid antibody testing, the SC Public Information Office (PIO) said in a statement.

Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta, who personally inspected the testing sites in court grounds, said the SC has enough test kits.

“The rapid testing is the Court’s way of complementing the efforts of the government to curb the spread of the pandemic and to flatten the curve,” the chief justice said.

SC spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said two justices and 647 out of 2,700 court personnel were tested on Tuesday.

The SC PIO said the setting up of the medical tents is in coordination with the office of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and that the court is also in touch with other concerned government agencies in case an employee or official test positive.

A staff member of Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier tested positive for COVID-19 last March.

The SC has recently installed two multifunction disinfection chambers in the lobby of its main building and the Centennial Building. These chambers are equipped with a "non-contact infrared temperature scanner, an automatic hand sanitizer dispenser, and an ultrasonic atomization system," the SC PIO said.

Health authorities have recorded 14,669 COVID-19 cases in the Philippines as of Tuesday afternoon. Of this number, 3,412 have recovered and 886 patients have died. There are 10,371 active cases. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/RSJ, GMA News