MANILA, Philippines — Marikina police officers and 100 police personnel from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) will be tested for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at the Marikina molecular laboratory testing facility, the chief of National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said Wednesday.
“I know yung buong police ng Marikina na automatic na ipapaswab at magbibigay ang pulisya ng another 100 sa district office. I-de-determine ng doctor namin kung sino ang priority,” Metro Manila police chief Major Gen. Debold Sinas told reporters on Wednesday after meeting Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro for mass testing of police frontliners.
(All Marikina police will be tested and undertake swab tests while police will send another 100 from district office. Our doctors will determine the priority for testing.)
“Hopefully, this will assure frontliners kagaya namin sa PNP (Philippine National Police) na if ever we contracted coronavirus (disease) merong area na mag-assess agad kung ano status namin,” he added.
(Hopefully, this will assure frontliners especially from PNP (Philippine National Police) that if ever we contracted coronavirus disease there will be an area that will assess our status.)
Sinas said police officers assigned at checkpoints and those with COVID-19 symptoms will be prioritized for the COVID-19 testing.
“We still follow DOH (Department of Health) protocol. ‘Yung may contact sa labas saka yung may sakit saka may symptoms ng cold, fever at flu at sore throat other than that, last priority ka na,” the NCRPO chief said.
(We will follow DOH protocol. Those who are in contact outside, those who are sick and those who have symptoms of cold, fever and flu, sore throat but other than that they are our last priority.)
Sinas said Eastern Police District Director Brig. Gen. Johnson Almazan, Marikina City police chief Col. Resituto Arcangel, and Marikina police officers were the first to be tested for COVID-19 at the Marikina laboratory this morning.
On April 30, DOH allowed Marikina’s COVID-19 testing center to operate. A day after the DOH accreditation, Marikina started testing residents who are suspected to be carriers of the new coronavirus.