Quarantine centers set up in some detention facilities to prevent spread of COVID-19 —DOH

Quarantine centers have been set up in some detention facilities in the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among persons deprived of liberty, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Friday.

In a statement, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said efforts have been ramped up in coordination with other stakeholders such as the Department of Justice, World Health Organization, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

"ICRC has installed a 110-bed capacity quarantine facility in the medium-security New Bilibid Prison. Multi-disciplinary technical support has likewise been supplied to the Correctional Institute for Women as an emergency response to its confirmed cases detected recently," Duque said.

The DOH is also working with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to expand the 48-bed quarantine facility at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas. The goal is to increase the bed capacity to 200, according to the health official.

A 40-bed quarantine facility at the New San Fernando District Jail in Pampanga and an 80-bed quarantine facility at the Quezon District Jail in Pagbilao are likewise being prepared.

Protective gear and medical equipment will be available in the said facilities, and patients who will be quarantined may also contact their loved ones through the electronic devices that will be provided, according to the DOH.

Moreover, Duque said the ICRC is assisting the BJMP and the Bureau of Corrections in further developing their guidelines for the control, management, and prevention of COVID-19 in detention centers.

Other closed-setting facilities such as orphanages and homes for the aged will also be monitored in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and WHO, he added.

Earlier this week, a total of 233 prisoners and jail personnel have contracted COVID-19 at three city jails in the country, according to the BJMP.

Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said over 9,700 detainees nationwide had been released from March to April.

To further decongest jails amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced bail and release on own recognizance as modes of release for indigent detainees had also been allowed.—AOL, GMA News