9 Quezon City inmates with COVID recovering

MANILA, Philippines — The nine inmates of the Quezon City Jail who have tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 are recovering, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) reported yesterday.

BJMP chief Director Allan Iral said the detainees have not shown symptoms of the virus.

“Our doctors and nurses are working around the clock to provide medical care to the inmates to speed up their recovery,” Iral said.

There are 3,821 inmates at the Quezon City Jail.

The BJMP has ordered random testing to determine if there are other detainees who might have contracted the virus.

Caloocan hospital closed

In Caloocan, Mayor Oscar Malapitan yesterday ordered a two-day closure of the Caloocan City Medical Center-North to conduct disinfection after a resident doctor tested positive for COVID-19.

The hospital will be closed today until 8 a.m. tomorrow. Its patients, who have been transferred to an adjacent facility, would be returned to their wards, Malapitan said.

He said 38 of the 188 barangays in the city have received cash aid from the local social welfare department office.

Quarantine facilities for cops

In San Juan, the local government has opened quarantine facilities solely for members of the city police who are possible carriers of COVID-19.

Mayor Francis Zamora on Saturday led the turnover of the two emergency quarantine facilities at the San Juan National High School.

The facilities have airconditioners and 15 beds for use of frontliners from the city police. Three members of the local police have been categorized as suspected COVID-19 cases.