34 contacts of new Portmore BPO COVID patient test negative
Published:Monday | May 4, 2020 | 12:00 AM
The Health Ministry says 34 contacts of the infected Conduent call centre employee in Naggo Head, St Catherine, have tested negative for the coronavirus.
However, according to the chief medical officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, further testing of contacts will be continuing.
Conduent is the third call centre with positive COVID cases.
Last week, news came that an employee at the New Kingston-based Centerfield Media tested positive for COVID-19, triggering a contact-tracing probe by the Ministry of Health & Wellness among scores of employees and family members.
The Alorica call Centre in Portmore, St Catherine has been the epicenter of the virus has seen 221 employees tested positive since Good Friday.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government will soon announce new standards for call centres.
"I think the measures that we are putting in place now are going to be higher than world standards," Holness said Monday evening at a Jamaica House digital press conference.
The Health Ministry has conceded that its workplace policy for call centres is weak saying that it would be seeking to copy elements of the regime created by the Global Services Association.
At the same time, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered a police investigation into Alorica, which the Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said, breached government orders after it was cleared during inspection.
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