ILOILO CITY—More than 40 at a jail in this city have been infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Jail Superintendent Gilbert Peremne, assistant regional director of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP-6), confirmed that there are now 41 people at the Iloilo City District Jail in Jaro district that has COVID-19.
Of the 41 infected with COVID-19, a total of 39 are inmates or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) while the other two are BJMP personnel.
“We are expecting the number to be higher in the days to come,” Peremne told Manila Bulletin in an interview Wednesday, September 16.
At least eight more BJMP personnel are awaiting the results of their COVID-19 swab tests.
The local transmission of COVID-19 inside the jail was traced to an inmate who died last September 6. The 31-year-old inmate was found unconscious while inside his cell and was taken to a hospital where he died. It was later found out that he tested positive for COVID-19.
According to Peremne, the former inmate was newly transferred to the Iloilo City jail facility from a jail facility in Pototan town.
“He underwent mandatory quarantine and had a rapid test before he was transferred to Iloilo City,” added Peremne.Meanwhile, BJMP-6 assured that the situation at the Iloilo City jail is still manageable and there are no other serious conditions among the inmates or the BJMP personnel.