Senate to impose stricter health protocols for resource persons after Lorenzana’s COVID-19 case

The Senate will impose stricter health protocols for resource persons and guests due to the abrupt suspension of the 2022 budget deliberations following the COVID-19 case of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Under the latest advisory issued November 17, the Senate will now require a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR result which is valid for 24 hours since the collection of the specimen.

Before the latest protocol on COVID-19 tests, Senate Sergeant-At-Arms retired Major General Rene Samonte said they are required a 72-hour valid negative RT-PCR test.

The Senate will still require a medical certificate valid for 24 hours, indicating that the guest is negative for COVID-19 symptoms.

The COVID-19 vaccination card, showing that the visitor is fully-vaccinated, shall likewise be presented.

These requirements should be submitted to the medical staff on duty on the day of the visit.

The Senate will also require the names of the visitors, guests, and resource persons to be submitted to the Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms at least one day before their scheduled visit.

The Senate has suspended the plenary debates on the 2022 national budget, which was originally scheduled to end on Friday.

This, after Lorenzana, who was in the Senate last Tuesday for the deliberations of the Department of National Defense’s budget next year, tested positive for COVID-19.

In a text message to reporters, Zubiri said all the close contacts of Lorenzana would undergo self-quarantine and would be tested after five days of exposure.

He also disclosed that at least six senators who were on the floor with Lorenzana last Tuesday took an antigen COVID-19 test.

Among those tested were Zubiri, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, and Senators Sonny Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Francis Tolentino.

“Fortunately, we were all negative as of last night. But as a precaution, we had decided to cancel all the budget deliberations today so as not to expose the other departments from possible COVID-19 and to allow the Senate to be disinfected and all the members and staff to quarantine and be PCR tested after five days of exposure,” Zubiri said.

He added that they would resume the debates on Monday, November 22, if the RT-PCR tests of the senators and the secretariat yielded negative results. — RSJ/VBL, GMA News