EDITORIAL - COVID time bomb

Considering the overcrowding at local jails and national prisons in this country, it was only a matter of time before the facilities were reached by the coronavirus disease 2019. On April 23, an inmate of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa died of COVID-19 at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, becoming the first prisoner to die of the virus, according to the Bureau of Corrections.

The BuCor also has jurisdiction over the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong, which recorded 27 more inmates over the weekend who tested positive for COVID-19. The cases brought to 48 the total number of prisoners under the BuCor with COVID, with several dozens more in isolation and under observation for the disease.

Meanwhile, in jails operated by local governments and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, more detainees have tested positive for COVID-19. As of the weekend, 126 inmates and 20 personnel at the Cebu City Jail – with one fatality recorded – accounted for the high number of COVID cases in the city. Cebu has been placed under a so-called enhanced lockdown to prevent further contagion.

At the Quezon City Jail, among the most congested in Metro Manila, nine inmates and nine personnel have tested positive or are under observation for COVID. Even under normal circumstances, the country’s jails and prisons have been operating way beyond their capacity. In some jails particularly in Metro Manila, detainees are forced to take turns sleeping because there is hardly any room to move. Physical distancing is impossible in such facilities.

Stopping visits to inmates obviously failed to stop the entry and spread of the virus; inmates still interacted with jail personnel who might have been infected. Suppliers and other people continue to enter jails and prison facilities.

Now that the virus has gained a foothold, it can easily spread in such congested environments. BuCor and BJMP officials have said isolation areas have been set up and quarantine rules are being implemented to prevent further contagion. The basic problem of overcrowding, however, poses the biggest risk for spreading the virus.

There are proposals to release low-risk detainees particularly the sick and the elderly as well as others eligible for early freedom. Both the Department of Justice and Department of the Interior and Local Government, however, say a court order is needed to release any inmate. Because of a corruption case, the application of Good Conduct Time Allowance was also suspended weeks before the pandemic struck. The government must act quickly to stop a COVID time bomb from exploding and decimating the inmate population.