BDO confirms employee in San Juan operations office positive for coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – BDO on Tuesday, March 17, confirmed that an employee of one of its operational offices in San Juan has tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19.

In a statement on Tuesday, March 17, BDO said it has undertaken the “necessary actions” to protect the health of its employees, customers, and suppliers, following the development. An operations facility does backend work for the bank and is not in touch with customers. (Editor’s note: We earlier reported that the employee works for a BDO branch in the city)

BDO said the employee underwent self-quarantine on March 10, but the bank only received confirmation that he tested positive for the disease on Monday, March 16. 

“All employees within the contact trace of the affected individual are now under self-quarantine. During this challenging time, BDO will be providing said employee with every support and guidance,” BDO said.

“The bank is in close coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) in taking the necessary actions. BDO is likewise performing detailed contact tracing with all employees and other parties that the infected employee may have come into contact with,” it added.

BDO said the affected office area and common spaces were being deep cleaned and disinfected. 

“We have also advised all our employees to be cautious about their wellness and hygiene to boost their immune system. BDO will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure that the well-being of employees, customers, and suppliers is protected,” the bank added.

BDO is the latest company in the country to confirm a COVID-19 case among its ranks. The first was multinational professional services network Deloitte Philippines which confirmed that an employee was positive for the new virus on March 7.

As of March 16, the DOH has reported 142 cases of the novel coronavirus in the Philippines, with 12 deaths. 

The global death toll has reached 6,501, with 3,213 of the fatalities in China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau). The number of cases worldwide has risen to 168,250, with more than 80,860 of the infections in China. The virus has spread to at least 142 countries. – Rappler.com