MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Office and its licensing center in East Avenue, Quezon City are closed until Friday, June 19, after 12 employees tested positive for coronavirus.

LTO suspended work on Wednesday, June 17, at 12 noon to start disinfecting the premises and make sure any possible tranmission is contained, its chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante said.

Operations will resume on Monday, June 22.

LTO had conducted the rapid antibody test for 100 employees, 12 of whom tested positive.

The agency said that the 12 employees have undergone the RT-PCR swab test and are awaiting for their results.

The rapid test only detects antibodies against the virus – which is why it has been described as an unreliable test. Medical groups have warned against the use of rapid tests as it would be a “waste of resources” due to high incidence of false positives.

The swab test detects the virus itself and is the “gold standard” for confirming if a person is infected with the coronavirus. (READ: FAST FACTS: What’s the difference between PCR, rapid antibody tests?) – Rappler.com