ILOILO City – Five personnel of the La Paz police station were infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Four policemen and a female non-uniformed personnel (NUP) likely got the virus from two inmates recently detained in the lockup cell of the police station, said its chief, Police Captain Edfil Balibadlan.
These inmates were remitted on Jan. 8 at the Iloilo District Jail in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo.
There, they were quarantined and subsequently underwent COVID-19 testing. They were found infected on Jan. 14.
According to Balibadlan, seven of his personnel, including one jailer and the NUP, had direct contact with the two inmates.
They had their specimens collected for reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test on Jan. 15.
Their results came out the next day – only two turned out negative.
Of the five infected personnel, one was confined at the West Visayas State University Medical Center in Jaro district for difficulty of breathing.
The four others were asymptomatic and were placed under home quarantine.
A thorough disinfection had since been conducted at the police station. Balibadlan also ordered his remaining police personnel to undergo COVID-19 test./PN
