ILOILO City – An officer of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) 6 who recently gave birth was found infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Asymptomatic, the BJMP personnel was taken to the St. Therese-MTCC Hospital – one of the city government’s identified quarantine facilities.
The 35-year-old jail officer’s baby girl, meanwhile, was under monitoring in a private hospital pending the release of her confirmatory COVID test.
According to Senior Jail Superintendent Gilbert Peremne of BJMP-6, this officer from La Paz district was assigned at the regional office. But since February, was allowed to work from home.
On Aug. 4, shortly after giving birth, the jail officer was subjected to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test. The result came out on Aug. 8.
According to Peremne, prior to giving birth, the jail officer underwent genetic test where she was found negative for COVID-19.
“We don’t know where she got her infection. She had not reported to our office since Feb. 14,” Peremne said.
COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets also land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
Peremne said the female jail officer is the fifth BJMP-6 personnel to get infected with the viral disease.
To recall, Peremne declared the BJMP-6 as free from COVID-19 on July 16. Four of the agency’s employee who tested positive for the disease have all recovered and all their close contacts tested negative.
The last BJMP personnel to be cleared was a 52-year-old male from La Paz district. He was initially referred to the Western Visayas Medical Center.
BJMP, an attached agency of the Department of Interior and Local Government, supervises the administration and operation of all district, city and municipal jails.
Visitors were temporarily banned from jails across Western Visayas as early as March as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19.
The inmates’ daily visitation privilege – including conjugal visits – has been suspended indefinitely, said Peremne.
The suspension was ordered by the BJMP national headquarters.
According to Peremne, the jail visitor ban is nationwide in scope.
Western Visayas has 38 jail facilities housing a total of 8,200 inmates./PN
