Camp Karingal on lockdown

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) headquarters at Camp Karingal has been placed on a three-day lockdown after 13 police officers tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, an official announced yesterday.

Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said 10 of the infected police officers are detailed at Camp Karingal in Barangay Sikatuna Village. The rest are assigned at the different police community precincts under the QCPD.

Sinas said nine of those who contracted COVID-19 are commissioned officers who led quarantine control points and the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine or ECQ in the city.

“Since they were previously assigned in quarantine checkpoints, it’s necessary to conduct precautionary measures and contact tracing to ensure that the virus will not infect more of our frontline workers,” Sinas said.

He said a total of 219 QCPD personnel underwent rapid testing, but 104 results remain pending. 

The NCRPO will determine who will be prioritized for swab testing. 

Sinas said the lockdown of the police camp would help facilitate contact tracing, monitoring of those who had contact with COVID-19 patients, isolation and disinfection of the QCPD headquarters.

Fourty-seven NCRPO personnel have been infected with the virus.

‘Lockdown won’t affect ECQ’

The Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday assured the public that the implementation of ECQ guidelines would not be affected by the lockdown of Quezon City’s main police camp.

PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the lockdown has little effect as most of the QCPD police officers implementing quarantine measures are already on the field.

“Hindi maapektuhan ang mandato or pagpapatupad ng ECQ dahil ang atin namang mga pulis ay naka-deploy na all over Quezon City,” Banac said.

QCPD director Brig. Gen. Ronnie Montejo, who tested negative for COVID-19, is temporarily holding office at the Kamuning police station 10. 

The QCPD remains operational as police officers continue to work at their respective units, according to Banac.

He said Montejo and other police officials could discuss day-to-day operations through virtual conferences.

COVID testing 

Meanwhile, over 200 NCRPO personnel detailed at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) underwent rapid diagnostic testing for COVID-19 last week.

The NCRPO Regional Health Service conducted the tests on May 8 and 9, starting with personnel of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) and the elite Special Action Force (SAF) serving as additional forces at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

The test is designed to detect antibodies or immunoglobulins against the virus that causes COVID-19.

Among those who tested positive for antibodies were four RMFB personnel and one each from the SAF and PNP.

Of the 313 BuCor personnel who were tested, 32 were found positive for antibodies. 

Those who tested positive were ordered to undergo isolation.

As of May 8, the BuCor recorded 58 cases of COVID-19 from seven prisons. – Emmanuel Tupas, Neil Jayson Servallos