SC suspends work for 3 days due to COVID-19 cases among employees

The Supreme Court on Sunday announced that it will implement a three-day suspension from January 3 to 5, 2022 due to a number of personnel who tested positive for COVID-19.

Under Memorandum Order (MO) No. 2-2022 issued by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, the work suspension was declared to conduct COVID-19 testing to on personnel and to disinfect the entire Court premises.

This followed the report of the High Court’s Medical and Dental Services (MDS) that “many” of its personnel yielded positive results on antigen testing conducted starting Monday, December 27.

The contact tracing conducted showed that they were in “close physical contact” with other employees, the MO added.

Concerned personnel of the Office of the Bar Chair and Office of the Bar Confidant who are involved in the 2020/2021 bar examinations, Office of the Administrative Services (OAS), MDS, and Receiving Section of the Judicial Records Office involved in e-filling are however still required to report on-site. 

The MO also noted that the scheduled En Banc session and booster vaccination will proceed as set on Monday.

The SC said its OAS will ensure the observance of the maximum health and safety protocols in the vaccination.

Meanwhile, the modified working arrangement

This directive states that all offices and divisions in the SC would continue to be operational, with one-half of the workforce reporting on-site on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

The other half shall report on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, while employees who are not scheduled to report to the office shall be under work-from-home arrangement for two days.

Personal filing of initiatory pleadings was also suspended until further notice.

The MO further noted that everyone who is mandated to enter the Court premises starting Thursday will have to present a negative antigen result slip.

The Philippines on Sunday logged 4,600 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide tally to 2,851,931.

Recoveries climbed by 535 to 2,778,943, while 25 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 51,570.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Friday that the highly transmissible Omicron variant may already be responsible for this rise in COVID-19 cases in the country. —LBG, GMA News