COVID-19 cases among BuCor inmates now at 161 — DOJ

The number of COVID-19 cases among inmates of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has reached 161 as of Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wednesday.

Six inmates have died of the infectious disease and eight have recovered, department undersecretary and spokesman Markk Perete said in a statement.

Perete also said there are 33 confirmed COVID-19 cases among BuCor staff members. Three of them have recovered.

The New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City has seen the most number of cases so far, with 82 inmates and 26 personnel confirmed to have been infected. The Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong has 79 cases among inmates and five among staff, Perete said.

No confirmed case has been recorded in any of the other five facilities of the BuCor across the country, but there are 19 suspected patients among inmates at the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, the official said.

The DOJ's last update on the BuCor count -- May 15 -- was 117 cases and four deaths among inmates.

Perete likewise announced that 1,500 more rapid test kits for inmates are set to be delivered to the BuCor this week and that more are expected in the coming weeks.

Laptops from the GoJust Program of the European Union will also be provided to BuCor for the "E-Dalaw" program, in which inmates and their families can communicate through virtual means while prisons are locked down to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Several groups have called for the release of prisoners and detainees vulnerable to COVID-19, fearing that outbreaks would be deadly in highly congested prisons and detention facilities.

In response, the DOJ has simplified the rules and requirements for applications for parole and executive clemency for convicted prisoners. More than a hundred inmates have been granted parole under the interim guidelines as of last week. — RSJ, GMA News