By ROY C. MABASA
The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has thoroughly disinfected its building following reports that 58 distressed overseas Filipino workers temporarily housed at the post tested positive for COVID-19.
In an advisory on social media over the weekend, the consulate said the disinfection was carried out with the help of one of the leading and most trusted sanitation companies in Jeddah that uses 3M disinfectants and ultra-low volume (ULV) machines to ensure that all its facilities are thoroughly sanitized.
“Jeddah PCG (Philippine Consulate General) will regularly disinfect its premises for the safety of the transacting public and its personnel,” the post said in the advisory.
Last Wednesday, 58 out of 77 male Filipinos who underwent COVID-19 swab testing tested positive for COVID. One of them died during the testing.
On the recommendation of the hospital that conducted the swab testing, Consul General Edwin Badajos said they immediately isolated those who tested positive for COVID-19 at the consulate’s Building 1 that now serves as a temporary isolation area.
Badajos was quoted in a report as saying that all those who tested positive were asymptomatic and are placed under 14-day quarantine.
Three male OFWs reportedly declined to undergo swab testing and instead signed a waiver stating the consulate’s non-liability clause.
Last June 23, the consulate in Jeddah closed its doors for two weeks after one of its employees and two displaced Filipinos also tested positive for COVID-19.
