Virus spreads in Davao, De Oro jails

DAVAO CITY—Infections among detainees in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Davao are the latest clusters of COVID-19 cases that have emerged in Mindanao in the past few days, police and health officials said.

Police Col. Kirby John Kraft, Davao City police chief, said detainees in the city’s 12 police stations were tested for the coronavirus but only specimens from those held at Police Station 8 in Toril District came out positive.

Police Maj. Michael Uyanguren, commander of the Toril police station, said 30 of 43 detainees had the virus. The rest have been isolated, he said.

Lockdown

Uyanguren said police were still clueless on how the virus got into the detention cell, noting that the detainees had been subjected to rapid diagnostic tests before detention.

Kraft said the Toril police station had been put on lockdown to contain the spread of the disease. He said 14 personnel, including the investigator and jail guards, at the police station were quarantined.

The rest of the 91 station personnel who were not exposed to the detainees were assigned to patrol the streets.

“Let me assure the public that our law enforcement work continues and will not be affected by the lockdown,” Kraft said.

In Cagayan de Oro City, 28 detainees awaiting entry into a jail in Lumbia village contracted the virus.

Dr. Joselito Retuya, epidemiologist at the city health office, said the detainees were staying in a holding area while awaiting results of their COVID-19 tests, a standard procedure by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology which runs the facility.

Holding area

Retuya said the holding area was cramped, making them vulnerable to the spread of the virus.

But he said the detainees could have been infected at police precinct cells where they stayed while waiting for court orders for admission to the city jail.

Retuya, however, said there was a “slim chance” for the 28 detainees to infect others because they had been isolated at a city government-run facility.