More than 400 iQor workers test negative for COVID-19

More than 400 employees of call center firm iQor-Iloilo yielded negative results in the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, Aug 11, 2020, according to Joeven Tansi, executive director of the Iloilo Federation for Information Technology (I-FIT).

Tansi said the results were released by Qualimed Molecular Laboratory.
Some of those who tested negative were allowed to work following the pronouncement of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas on Tuesday that iQor sites can now reopen after decontamination.

Treñas said only agents with RT-PCR tests can work, provided that safety protocols will be implemented.

As of 4 p.m. of Wednesday, cumulative cases detected at iQor totaled to 149.

Out of this number, 92 are residents of Iloilo City while 57 are from Iloilo province.

In Iloilo province, the infected agents are from Pavia with 9 cases; Oton (5); Miagao (5)

Tigbauan (5); Dingle (4); Pototan (3); Sta. Barbara (4); San Joaquin (3); San Miguel (3); Calinog (2); Dumangas (2); and Leon (2).

Meanwhile the towns of Ajuy, Badiangan, Banate, Cabatuan, Janiuay, Lambunao, Leganes, New Lucena, Passi City, and San Dionisio each logged one positive case.

Tansi said the COVID-19 patients of iQor Iloilo are either asymptomatic or exhibited mild symptoms.

“Wala sang critical nga case so far. Most of them asymptomatic,” he said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, laboratory results of the other remaining employees of iQor remain pending at the Western Visayas Medical Center – Sub National Laboratory (WVMC-SNL).
According to Tansi, the other agents are billeted in hotels and will remain under quarantine until their laboratory results will be released.

Those who are working from home will remain under home quarantine.

“For those nga asymptomatic ukon may symptoms nga wala pa ang results, quarantine sila gihapon didto sa hotels asta makagwa ang ila test results,” he said.

Upon testing positive, the Iloilo City government will pick up the COVID-19 infected agent and will be moved to the quarantine facility of the city.

In some cases, the COVID-19 patient can also be transferred to the nearest accredited provider/ hospital of the BPO firm.

For other local government units (LGUs) particularly in Iloilo province, Tansi admitted that they are still working on the flow of the management on the positive cases.

“Most of those who are working from home patients nga nagapauli sa province were also required to be subjected to confirmatory test that is why we are closely coordinating with the LGUs and the provincial health office (PHO),” he said.

Meanwhile, Tansi assured that protocols are already in place with the reopening of iQor work sites.

To minimize the exposure of agents, the company provided transportation to the agents.

Regular disinfection in all the floors is conducted every hour. The BPO firm is also practicing the “no sharing” of workstations to prevent the transmission of Covid-19.

According to Tansi, iQor is the biggest Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry in Iloilo with four operating sites and more than 2,000 employees. (ERS)