By AARON RECUENCO
Another police officer died due to health complications after he was infected with COVID-19, making him the 35th fatality in the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The PNP reported 171 new COVID-19 cases last Friday, the highest so far this year. Since Monday, the PNP has been reporting over 100 new cases daily.
Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, PNP officer-in-charge, said the rise in the number of cases in the PNP is consistent with what is happening in the country. Last Friday, more than 7,000 new cases were reported by the Department of Health (DOH).
“PNP is part of the general population. The country, particularly Metro Manila, is experiencing an upsurge of cases, and so do the PNP being frontliners,” said Eleazar.
Eleazar said the 35th fatality was a 54-year old Police Commissioned Officer assigned at the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
He died on March 18 due to pneumonia. Reportedly, he was considered as high risk having hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
Of the 171 new cases, 29 of them are assigned in Camp Crame, Quezon City; 68 are assigned in various police units in Metro Manila, and 74 are assigned in other parts of the country.
Amid the continuous rise in COVID-19 cases, Eleazar has already approved several measures that include a modified working scheme for civilian employees of the PNP assigned in Camp Crame, limiting the number of attendees in police activities such as flag-raising, and limiting the number of visitors in Camp Crame.
