The Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory (QCJMD) announced on Thursday, Dec. 8, that the regular face-to-face visitation to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the jail facility in Kamuning, Quezon City will resume on Dec. 13.
The in-person visitations at the QCJMD will resume after nearly three years of being under absolute lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic as ordered by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in March 2020 in all its jail facilities in the country.
According to the QCJMD, the dry run for the face-to-face visitation started on Dec. 6-11 (except Dec. 9) where 75 relatives of the PDLs are accommodated per day.
It added that starting Dec. 13, 125 visitors a day will be allowed entry in the facility.
The QCJMD said that the cap on the number of visitor was made to ensure that ample space will be allotted for social distancing.
Those who are allowed to visit are the immediate family members of the PDLs such as their parents, siblings, spouse, children and other relatives. All visitors shall present valid identification cards, vaccination and booster cards.
Priests, religious ministers, lawyers, non-government organizations (NGOs) duly accredited by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) or any duly accredited International NGOs by the Office of the President may also be allowed entry, the QCJMD said.
It also said that visitors without vaccine cards may still be allowed to enter as long as they can show proof of a negative result of their reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and antigen tests with a 72-hour validity from the date they were conducted.
The visitations are scheduled every Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, while Mondays and Fridays are allotted for disinfection of the facility.
According to the QCJMD, the BJMP allows the in-person visitations to a jail facility provided that at least 85 percent of its personnel and PDL population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
It added that 100 percent of its personnel and 87 percent of the jail population are fully vaccinated against the disease, making it eligible for the face-to-face visitations.
The QCJMD also reminds visitors to observe health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19.