Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año on Sunday said that police officers who work directly with the medical workers and are deployed in the COVID-19 isolation facilities are immediately subjected to rapid tests at the end of their duty.
(PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
In case the police officers are tested positive for COVID-19, Año said they will automatically undergo “PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing’’.
He said that as added measures the cops on duty in these facilities and those accompanying health workers in “extracting’’ COVID-19 positive patients in the communities also wear “PPEs’’ (personal protective equipment).
Año in an interview over CNN News stressed these measures are being done to decrease the chances of the cops who are also considered as front liners from contacting the virus.
“Mga frontliners kasi natin ito e, na talagang nasa frontline (They are our frontliners, they are indeed in the front line),’’ Año said.
Aside from the normal minimum protective measures, Año noted that the relyebo (shifting) system is now applied to the cops manning the isolation facilities and those accompanying the local health workers who convince COVID-19 positive patients to shun home quarantine and be transferred to government-run isolation facilities.
“Added measures to protect them, aside from the use of face masks, sanitize the hands all the time ngayong may pandemya (this pandemic),’’ he added.
Explaining further, Año said the cops in the “relyebo’’ system take turns in being on duty with regular testing being done on them.
“Although ang ginagawa muna natin dito yung pagkagaling ng duty ay nirarapid test natin tapos deretso din sila ng isolation quarantine (Although initially they undergo rapid tests after their duty and then they proceed directly to the isolation quarantine facilities),’’ Año explained.
As of 6 p.m. of August 6, Año said the Philippine National Police (PNP) has 2,407 confirmed COVID-19 cases but the active cases are more or less 1,000.
“Meron tayong recovered na 1,428 pero marami, meron na tayong 11 deaths (We have 1,428 recoveries and 11 deaths),’’ Año said.
At the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Año said there are 97 active cases of the total 263 COVID-19 cases with three deaths.
Año added that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has 214 active cases and two deaths out of 1,600 COVID-19 cases.
The BJMP and the BFP are both under the supervision of the DILG.