BJMP: 745 PDLs, 125 personnel infected with COVID-19

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology on Thursday bared that the number of persons deprived of liberty infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached 745.

Of the number, a total of 388 have already recovered while the number of fatalities is six, the BJMP said.

When it comes to BJMP personnel, the number of those who have contracted the disease is 125 with 65 recoveries.

No one died from COVID-19 among BJMP personnel, the latest data showed.

The BJMP has put up quarantine facilities to isolate PDLs who had contracted the virus.

Immediate contact tracing has also been practiced to identify who had direct contact with the positive cases.

Several groups have called for the temporary release of prisoners who are vulnerable to COVID-19 due to their age, existing illnesses, compounded by overcrowding and poor sanitation in detention facilities.

Department of the Interior and Local Government spokesman Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya previously said that the release of the detainees will depend on the court's order.—AOL, GMA News