By Jeffrey Damicog
The Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila will be placed on lockdown starting Thursday, June 18, until June 28 after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests showed that five personnel tested positive for the deadly 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra has placed the Department of Justice - Padre Faura Complex on lockdown starting tomorrow until June 28 after five of its personnel tested positive for COVID-19,” announced DOJ Undersecretary Markk Perete on Wednesday, June 17.
Despite this, Perete has assured that the DOJ will continue operate.
“Work will continue to be done from home,” the DOJ spokesman said.
“Affidavits, motions, and other papers in connection with scheduled preliminary investigations (PI) conducted by state prosecutors will continue to be received at the frontline; otherwise, the PI may just have to be reset,” he added.
The DOJ has been conducting rapid antibody tests since June 5 to 537 persons out of its over 700 employees.
Rapid antibody tests showed that 72 of its employees including outsourced personnel were positive of the virus.
Because of this, they underwent confirmatory PCR tests which revealed that five of them have COVID-19.
“Of these 5, three are in the DOJ proper (in three separate buildings), one is in the field office, and one is an outsourced security guard,” Guevarra noted.
The secretary said during the lockdown the DOJ compound will undergo disinfection and contact tracing will be made to determine who have been in contact with those infected with the virus.