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CEBU CITY –– At least 1,200 traditional jeepney drivers in this city will be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Monday to further slow down the transmission of the virus.
Cebu City Councilman James Anthony Cuenco, head of the city’s Jeepney Task Force, said the test, which was among the requirements before drivers could roam city streets again, would be conducted using a joint sampling.
“We are asking DOH-7 (Department of Health in Central Visayas), if possible, to prioritize testing for our drivers because they have already been waiting to get back on the roads for a long time. We don’t want to prolong his agony, ”said Cuenco.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the “combined smear test” means combining respiratory samples from several people and performing a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on the combined group of samples to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
If a pooled sample is negative, all samples in that pool are considered negative. Otherwise, each of the samples in the pool must be tested individually to determine which samples are positive.
Clustering through groups of five to 10 people allows laboratories to analyze more samples with fewer test materials and could be useful in scenarios such as the return of groups of workers to the workplace.
The same procedure was used to test at least 4,000 market vendors in the city last month.
The resumption of jeepney operations in the city was supposed to begin on November 11, but was postponed to a later date, while local officials comply with directives by conducting coronavirus tests for drivers.
Cuenco said authorities had yet to comply with the recent DOH-7 directive to group test those whose intent is not for diagnostic purposes.
Mayor Edgardo Labella previously approved the resumption of operations of some traditional utility jeepneys in Cebu City.
The approval was made on the recommendation of the Cebu City Jeepney Task Force, which was formed for the Balik-Pasada Program, and to meet the growing demand for public transportation with strict adherence to the minimum health protocol.
Before touring the city streets, traditional jeepney drivers must obtain a professional driver’s license, a negative COVID-19 test result, and undergo guidance and training from the Cebu City Transportation Office.
LZB
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