Infected inmates, stranded individual raise Palawan COVID-19 tally to 42

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—Two inmates and a stranded individual tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), raising Palawan’s coronavirus tally to 42.

Insp. Irene Gaspar, warden of the Puerto Princesa City jail, said on Friday (July 3) that the two inmates are still isolated inside jail and would be transferred to a quarantine facility at the village of Bacungan on Saturday (July 4).

Gaspar said the two inmates were newly committed to the city jail. Prior to detention, the two had been tested for coronavirus, she added.

Jail health protocol required the testing of new inmates and their isolation, Gaspar said.

Dr. Dean Palanca, head of the city Incident Management Team (IMT), said at a press briefing aired on social media that the two new inmates were both men aged 26-years-old.

The third patient is a 31-year-old man who had  been stranded in COVID-19 epicenter Metro Manila and arrived in the city last June 28 aboard a mercy trip of 2Go Shipping Lines, Palanca said.

Palawan province, including Puerto Princesa City, now has a total of 42 COVID-19 cases, with 10 recoveries and one fatality as of 6 p.m. on Friday.

This city has the most cases in the province with 16.

TSB