Pia Cayetano, staff test negative for COVID-19

Senate Ways and Means Committee chairperson Pia Cayetano and her staff tested negative for COVID-19 after being exposed to an infected resource person.

"Mr. President, my team and I are here today because we were able to present to the Senate medical team our PCR test that says we are negative. So, based on our Senate regulations, we are allowed to come in," Cayetano said while speaking at the Senate session hall.

On Monday, the senator defended the corporate income tax reform bill via teleconference because she and her staff were waiting for the result of their COVID-19 test.

She said a resource person they had been working with for the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) bill tested positive for COVID-19 so they have to undergo the swab test too.

As Cayetano returned to the session hall, she said some safeguards were put in place.

"What we decided to do is to put an acrylic barrier between my staff and the resource persons who are on the other side," she said.

The Senate allowed both physical and online attendance to hearings and sessions since May to prevent transmission of the virus.

Starting October 1, all resource persons coming to Senate premises were required to have medical certificates declaring that they do not have COVID-19.—LDF, GMA News