The Davao City government has delivered food assistance to the Toril Police Station which was locked down after 30 of its inmates tested positive for the coronavirus.
Ma. Luisa Bermudo, the head of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), said the food packs were delivered on Wednesday.
“We have given 4 grocery packs per inmate as food assistance good for one incubation period,” she said.
The city government conducted a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to 30 of the 32 inmates who were scheduled for transfer to the Maa City Jail.
Dr. Josephine Villafuerte, Chief of the City Health Office (CHO), said that the Toril District Health Office will continue to monitor the health condition of the inmates during the duration of the lockdown.
After 14 days, they will be swabbed again and if they tested negative, they will be recommended for transfer to the Ma-a City Jail.
CHO has put them to an on-site mass isolation facility inside the Toril Police Station.
“Ang ginawa natin, naka on-site mass isolation sila, tulad noong ginawa noon sa Badjao community, ginagamot sila at nakatutok ang Toril District frontliners and medical team, (What we did is put them to on-site mass isolation like what we did to the Badjao community. They are being treated by Toril District frontliners and medical team),” Villafuerte said.
She said that this set-up is more ideal than bringing them to another isolation facility because the risk is higher due to additional security concerns since they are persons deprived of liberty.
Contact tracing will also be conducted for all families and visitors of inmates who tested positive.
Mayor Inday Sara Duterte in her Executive Order No. 37 s. 2020 issued last June 2020 ordered the mandatory testing of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) and Children in Conflict with Law (CICL) before they will be committed to and released from all government rehabilitation centers and other facilities.
The said EO prohibits the admission of a Covid-19 positive person to government rehabilitation centers such as the Davao City Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, Bahay Pag-asa, Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth, Balay Sidlakan, and Group Home for Girls. CIO
