Intensified disinfection of BPO firms ordered

Two more employees of a business processes outsourcing (BPO) firm in Iloilo City were infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), prompting the city government to order intensified disinfection of BPO offices.

The City Covid-19 Team said they have detected additional cases after they conducted contact tracing on employees of iQor Iloilo.
As of August 5, 2020, the city’s COVID-19 Team said they have detected five confirmed cases in the said BPO company.

“From the specimens gathered since August 1, we have already recorded a total of five infected call center employees of iQor,” Atty. GV Cuñada of the City Covid-19 Team said in a virtual press briefer on Wednesday.

In his Facebook page, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas reiterated that only those call center agents of iQor who have negative real-time polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR) test will be allowed to return to their work.

He also reminded other call center firms to intensify the disinfection of their workplaces following the surge of COVID-19 cases.

“All call centers should disinfect their workplaces after the shift of one call center agent to ensure that the same is safe. In the case of iQor, the call center agents will only be allowed to go back to work if they have negative RT-PCR results,” the mayor noted.

Meanwhile, the City Health Office (CHO) confirmed one call center agent of another BPO firm, WNS Iloilo also tested positive for COVID-19, based on a report of a local radio station. (ERS)