Free COVID-19 tests for jobseekers in city mulled

The Iloilo City government will offer free COVID-19 tests for jobseekers in the metro who will be required by their companies to submit negative swab test results.

According to Mayor Jerry Treñas, he will issue an executive order (EO) institutionalizing the free swab testing for individuals applying for employment in the metro by next week.

“We will make an EO next week that will give free swabs for everyone applying for employment in Iloilo City to make sure everyone is safe,” Treñas said in a statement.

Aside from this, the city government is also planning to lower the rate of reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for tourists.

“We will also partner with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Health (DOH) to further lower the rate of RT-PCR tests to P1,000 for tourists,” the mayor added.

The initiatives are part of the city government’s efforts to prepare the metro for more economic activities amid its high vaccination rate and low COVID-19 infections.

Iloilo City targets to achieve the herd immunity by December to open more activities, provide more jobs, and revive the economy as businesses are slowly recovering from the effects of the pandemic.

“We are moving towards economic recovery to allow more business to go on or open and provide employment opportunities for the people,” he said. (ERS)