By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

At least 49 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Negros Occidental tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.

In an interview over Bombo Radyo-Bacolod, BJMP Region 6 spokesperson Jail Chief Inspector Jairus Anthony Dogelio said the 49 COVID-19 infected PDLs are from various district jails in Negros Occidental. They are noted to be asymptomatic.

Dogelio said 25 of the 49 PDLs are already finishing their 14-day quarantine and will soon undergo another round of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test to confirm if they are no longer infected with the virus.

The BJMP spokesperson said the PDLs who have tested positive for COVID-19 are extracted from their respective district jails and brought to the Talisay Ligtas COVID Center for treatment. Those who yield negative swab test results are transported to the Handumanan isolation facility.

Once the 14-day quarantine is completed, Dogelio said PDLs are returned back to their jail of origin, although they will again be placed on quarantine prior to release to the jail’s general population.

Dogelio also confirmed that six BJMP personnel in the province were also found infected with the virus, although three of them are now recovering.

Due to the number of infections they have recorded, he said they have informed all the district jails in the region to start constructing their own isolation rooms.

The BJMP personnel were also reminded to strengthen their security measures in order for the jail facilities in the region to remain COVID-19 free./DGB, WDJ