BJMP halts visits to some Luzon, Davao jails to avoid coronavirus spread

(Note: Revised title and article to reflect BJMP’s amended information/ UPDATED: 5:07 p.m., 11 March 2020)

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) would temporarily suspend visits to some of its prison facilities in Luzon, including Metro Manila, and Mindanao in a bid to help curb the transmission of the novel coronavirus, an official said Wednesday.

BJMP spokesperson Xavier Solda said lockups in the National Capital Region, Ilocos Region, and Davao Region; and some in Central Luzon and Calabarzon would stop visitation privileges for now but quickly noted that there would be no lockdown of its jails across the country.

“Visitation in all jails of BJMP Region 1, Region 11 and NCR is temporarily suspended,” Solda said in a statement.

According to the BJMP official, prison visits would be suspended in all Bulacan jails, as well as in Angeles District Jail Male and Female Dormitories in Pampanga, Cabanatuan City District Jail, and Talavera Municipal Jail and San Jose City District Jail in Nueva Ecija.

In Calabarzon, Solda said visitation to jails in Cavite province; Cainta, Binangonan and Antipolo in Rizal; and Cabuyao, Calamba, and San Pablo in Laguna would also be temporarily suspended.

But the suspension of visits to Metro Manila jails would only be until March 25, according to Solda, adding that jails in Ilocos Region would resume visits after two weeks while jails in Davao Region would again allow visitations after a week but still depending on the guidance of the local government unit.

He likewise said there is no information yet about the duration of the visitation stoppage in the mentioned jails in Central Luzon and Calabarzon.

“The rest of other regions, jail units are observing precautionary measures since visitation is still ongoing,” Solda pointed out.

He then assured the families of affected inmates or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) that the directive aims to protect them and BJMP personnel from the threat of COVID-19.

He added that families of PDLs can still talk to inmates through the e-Dalaw program, which allows communication through social media platforms such as Facebook or Skype.

“Makipag-ugnayan lamang po kayo sa ating mga welfare and development officer sa jails para sa schedule (Just coordinate with our welfare and development officer in jails to know the schedules),” said Solda.

The BJMP official further assured PDL families that nurses have been assigned to monitor the health condition of PDLs, especially senior citizens.

Symptomatic visitors barred

Solda, at the same time, said BJMP chief Jail Director Allan Iral has instructed all BJMP units to prohibit the entry of symptomatic visitors in jails not covered by the suspension of visitation privileges, as well as the enforcement of no-contact policy such as hugging, kissing, and handshaking among visitors and PDLs.

A distance of one meter shall likewise be observed during communications among visitors, PDLs, and BJMP personnel to prevent the spread of the virus, according to Solda.

These directives came a day after the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) suspended all visitation privileges for one week, starting March 11, on all penal facilities in the country.

BuCor’s penal facilities include the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City, Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Davao del Norte, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan, San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro, and Leyte Regional Prison in Southern Leyte.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier declared a state of public health emergency following the spike of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.

To date, the Philippines has 33 confirmed cases of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province in late 2019.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.

Coronavirus is a family of viruses, which surfaces have a crown-like appearance. The viruses are named for the spikes on their surfaces.

KGA