Outbreak hits Laguna jail; tests start near Zambo prison

A cluster of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was traced to a jail in San Pedro City, Laguna province, after 26 people, among them jail guards, tested positive for the virus.

The outbreak has caused public alarm, as residents observed people in hazmat suits coming in and out of the jail compound at the city center. The jail has more than 800 inmates.

Jail Chief Insp. Geronimo Salle, spokesperson for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in the Calabarzon region, said four BJMP personnel and 22 detainees in San Pedro had tested positive for the virus.

In Zamboanga City, the local government has started random testing among villagers living near Zamboanga City Reformatory Center, the local epicenter of COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Dulce Miravite, city health officer, said at least 100 residents in Barangay Zone 1 had been subjected to random tests. Specimens from 46 villagers who turned positive would undergo confirmatory tests, she said.

—MARICAR CINCO AND JULIE ALIPALA