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51 of 82 COVID-19-positive QC cops were deployed during SONA —chief


At least 51 cops of Police Station 3 in Quezon City who tested positive for COVID-19 in Quezon were deployed for the security of the State of the Nation Address on Monday, the police said on Wednesday.

At a press conference, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Police Brigadier General Antonio Candido Yarra noted that the cops were also on duty for other regular police functions.

“One hundred eighteen [from] Police Station 3 participated in our SONA deployment and then 51 of them were tested positive,” Yarra said.

It was reported that 82 personnel of the Police Station 3 tested positive for COVID-19.

Of the 161 cops who were tested in the police station, only 79 have negative results.

Yarra said that three cops in Station 9 and 11 also tested for COVID-19, while no positive results were reported from Police Station 10 and 7.

Contact tracing is ongoing, Yarra said.

Mayor Joy Belmonte earlier said the city’s Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CESU) had said that the transmission was not related to the policemen's duty during SONA of President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, July 26.

"Matagal na silang na-swab, so walang kinalaman ito sa SONA," she said of the police officers who were tested on July 23.

Citing the CESU report, Belmonte speculated that the infection was due to the station’s poor compliance of health standards. "It's just a matter of loose health standards."

The infected cops were assigned to Police Station 3 (Talipapa), Police Community Precinct 1 (Unang Sigaw), and Police Community Precinct 2 (Bahay Toro), the city government said in a statement.

Belmonte added that the police personnel were already vaccinated.

Authorities already brought the first batch of infected cops to an isolation facility, while the rest are still being processed as their results just came out.

CESU Chief Dr. Rolando Cruz said 48 positive cases were already admitted to several HOPE facilities on Tuesday night. The other 34 are set to be admitted on Wednesday.

All the infected police officers in Police Station 3 were asymptomatic, Cruz added.

Police Station 3 commander Lieutenant Colonel Cristine Tabdi said the station will remain operational to receive reports or complaints in an outdoor receiving area.

However, the station is now restricted to the public and visitation is also prohibited. -MDM, GMA News

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