Four police officers and a female non-uniformed personnel (NUP) of the La Paz Police Station in Iloilo City’s La Paz district tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.

According to La Paz police chief, Police Captain Edfil Balibadlan, the five underwent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests last Friday, January 15, and their positive test results were released the following day.

Balibadlan said that seven of his personnel, including the jailer and NUP, had direct contact with two inmates who tested positive for the virus and were recently remitted to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

Of the four police officers, three were asymptomatic while the other one is presently confined at the West Visayas State University Medical Center after experiencing difficulty of breathing.

Balibadlan added that they had already disinfected the police station and the remaining police personnel will undergo COVID-19 tests today./WDJ