Transcom Bacolod was on total shutdown today, February 2, for disinfection after 41 of its employees tested positive for COVID-19, and inspections of all business process outsourcing (BPO) centers in Bacolod were underway to ensure that stringent safety measures are in place to prevent a similar outbreak of the deadly virus.
Dr. Chris Sorongon, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) deputy for medical data and analysis, said Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office personnel were disinfecting the exterior and interior of four Transcom buildings in Barangay Tangub today.
Sorongon said they are also ensuring that all BPO centers in Bacolod observe COVID-19 health protocols, and by Thursday they hope to come up with a consolidated report on their inspections.
They also reminded five other BPOs, who like Transcom, have not been using the Bacolod Contact Tracing (BaCTrac) system that would enable the EOC to swiftly identify those who come in contact with COVID-positive persons, to comply, he said.
The EO is also waiting for the COVID-19 test results of more close contacts of the 41 Transcom employees, Sorongon said.
He said the close contacts who tested negative will be quarantined for 14 days.
However, Transcom is asking that its employees who tested negative be reswabbed earlier than the 14-day period, and if the results are the same, they be allowed to return to work, Sorongon said.
The EOC is waiting for the recommendation of its infectious disease consultants on whether to allow such request, he said.
Tomorrow, February 3, the EOC will conduct an onsite inspection of the Transcom facilities and will meet with the firm’s senior management on Thursday to discuss enhanced observance of health protocols, he said.
Sorongon said from the Transcom experience they hope to come up with improved standard health protocols for BPO centers in Bacolod City.
The BPO center, in an official statement released today, said “the safety of employees, their families and the larger community has always been a key priority of Transcom’s fight against COVID-19 and it is committed to continue in taking appropriate actions in unison with the local government.”
It said the Transcom’s site in Bacolod City recently participated in COVID-19 surveillance tests conducted by the city government after 14 of its employees tested positive for COVID-19 using the company’s mandatory antigen testing and subsequent RT-PCR testing from January 23 to 28.
The Bacolod City government’s surveillance RT-PCR tests on 598 Transcom employees on January 29 and 30, generated 27 more positive cases closing the total number of cases at 41 or 6.4 percent of all personnel who were tested from January 23 to 30, it said.
In compliance with the local government’s official order for disinfection which was received on February 1, the site will be temporarily closed for 48 hours, the Transcom statement said.
“To further support the city authorities in the next coming days, all Transcom Bacolod onsite personnel are mandatorily required to undergo antigen testing every seven days instead of the usual 14-day interval. The company has developed its own QR Code-enabled process to enforce this policy,” it added.
To ensure safety among employees, Transcom has invested in initiatives to prevent the spread of infection especially within its sites, it said.
Common areas and workstations in the production floors were reconfigured to comply with the required one meter safe distance and transportation assistance is given to employees through a point-to-point shuttle service system that follows social distancing guidelines, Transcom said.
Antigen testing is conducted on all its onsite employees, including third party personnel, every 14 days. Teleconsult or health checks conducted by medical personnel are conducted to employees who are returning to the site or have not reported to the site for seven days, it added.
Transcom has also transitioned 75 percent of its operations to work at home since the start of the second quarter in 2020. The company spent more than $7million in 2020 for business continuity initiatives that focused on ensuring the safety of its employees, it also said.*