78 immigration employees get COVID-19; most asymptomatic

The Bureau of Immigration said Thursday that 78 of its rank and file employees have tested positive for COVID-19.

Twenty-nine of these employees have recovered and only one was admitted to the hospital, the BI said in a statement.

The bureau said 44 employees who were found infected have no or mild symptoms and are currently staying in quarantine facilities.

"We are still fortunate that none of our workers have succumbed to this virus," Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

Another 76 employees were asked to undergo home quarantine after they were exposed to persons infected by the virus, the bureau said.

Fifty-eight of these probable cases have already been allowed to return to work, while the remaining 18 are still under home quarantine, said BI medical chief Marites Ambray.

All officials and employees of the bureau are required to wear both face shields and face masks when reporting for work in their offices.

The BI's main office in Intramuros, Manila, has been regularly disinfected since July as another preventive measure, the bureau said. Walk-in transactions are suspended and clients are required to set an appointment online.—AOL, GMA News