The main headquarters of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD, Camp Karingal, was placed under a three-day lockdown after 14 of its personnel assigned in the area tested positive for the coronavirus.
Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said that the number of infected personnel at the QCPD calls for immediate measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
It was recalled that a five-day testing was conducted for personnel of the QCPD wherein 219 were subjected to COVID-19 test.
Of the 115 results that were released, 14 of them tested positive, four of them are police commissioned-officers.
Ten of those who tested positive are presently detailed at the District Headquarters in Camp Karingal, Quezon City. The four other patients are assigned to QCPD Police Community Precincts.
The result for 104 other cops are yet to be released.
“Our most important resource against this battle is our human resource. Hence, we opt to implement all possible measures to ensure their safety and guarantee that they are in their optimum health condition as they go to the frontline to face the unseen deadly virus,” said Sinas.
“Considering the fact that those who tested positive were previously tasked in the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Quarantine Control Points, it was deemed necessary to immediately conduct preventive measures and reactionary protocol to ensure that the virus will not thrive and infect more of our frontline workers,” he added.
The lockdown was implemented at 5 p.m. on Saturday and is expected to be lifted on Tuesday night.
While o the lockdown, Sinas has ordered for the following to be conducted:
1) An intensive tracing of those who were in close contact with the 13 positives patients who were already placed in the NCRPO Special Care Facility (SCF);
2) Evaluation and monitoring of those who were in direct contact with the positive patients and to have them isolated in the SCF; and,
3) Make an assessment about the status of the 104 personnel who underwent nasopharyngeal swab test pending their result and to determine whether they should be placed under quarantine;
4) Determine and assess those who will be recommended and prioritized to undergo nasopharyngeal swab test;
5) Immediately decontaminate the whole facility of Camp Karingal QCPD; and
6) Implement measures to prevent the further spread of COVID19 virus to other personnel. (Aaron Recuenco)
