Bloomberry Resorts Corporation has begun rapid antibody testing of its employees for COVID-19 as they begin preparations to return to work at the company’s Manila IR, Solaire Resort & Casino.
Solaire, alongside International Container Terminal Services, Inc – the global ports giant owned by Bloomberry Chairman and CEO Enrique K Razon Jr – have partnered with the Tropical Disease Foundation (TDF) and Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health) to screen employees, the company announced Monday.
The testing will implement a two-pronged strategy, it added, with rapid testing being done through point-of-care test kits, which measure antibodies from a blood sample in 10 to 15 minutes.
A second, more accurate test using traditional kits, processed through a real-time polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR machine, will also be used to detect the presence of the actual coronavirus within days.
Trained health professionals from the TDF and AC Health will supervise the entire testing process.
“Our employees are our number one asset,” said Razon. “As we try to overcome this most difficult phase and enter the ‘new normal’, we do so without letting our guard down. Consistent with our aim of helping the country’s health infrastructure in tackling the extent of the pandemic, our decision to invest in mass testing will give us, our employees, and their loved ones the reassurance that they will have a safe working environment, which Solaire and ICTSI are well-known for.”
Bloomberry also announced on Monday the launch of “Solaire Stories” – a series of informative videos published via its major social media channels covering topics such as hygiene, fire safety, physical wellness and culinary insights, and featuring the various teams responsible for each category at Solaire.