No BuCor inmate showing COVID-19 symptoms so far -- spox

No inmate in the custody of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has shown symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) so far, the bureau said Tuesday.

"No inmate so far with such symptoms," BuCor spokesman Gabriel Chaclag said.

He said the BuCor or its partner hospitals could handle cases of infections.

"Kaya naman 'yan, especially quarantine matters because it is already a secure and isolated place," he said in a text message to GMA News Online. "Pag meron naman cases that can't be handled by the NBP (New Bilibid Prison) ay inililipat sa partner government hospital."

The BuCor has seven facilities housing thousands of prisoners nationwide: the NBP, the Correctional Institution for Women, the Iwahig, Davao, San Ramon, and Sablayan Prisons and Penal Farms, and the Leyte Regional Prison.

As a measure against the spread of COVID-19, the BuCor is suspending visitation privileges in its prison facilities for a week starting Wednesday, March 11.

The BuCor said it is "strictly implement[ing] its safety protocols in ensuring the welfare of its stakeholders."

The Department of Health has reported 33 confirmed COVID-19 cases, as of Tuesday afternoon. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said two COVID-19 patients with other preexisting medical conditions are in critical condition.

President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a state of public health emergency due to the rising number of confirmed cases.

COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus, which belongs to a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The disease can spread through small droplets from the nose or mouth when an infected person coughs or exhales, or when people touch objects or surfaces where the droplets landed then touch their eyes, nose or mouth, according to WHO.

WHO said the most common symptoms are fever, tiredness, and dry cough.

The current outbreak started in Wuhan, China and has since spread to several countries.—AOL, GMA News