POLICEMEN have been instructed to keep a “contact diary” for easier contact tracing should they get infected with the novel coronavirus while carrying out their duties at quarantine checkpoints.

Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, Joint Task Force Covid Shield (JTF CV Shield) commander and PNP deputy chief for operation, said Wednesday, April 15, that a contact diary will also help establish whether a sick personnel should be considered a suspected or probable case of coronavirus infection.

"Our Chief PNP, General Archie Gamboa, said we must maintain an individual diary. Once we are infected, we can go back to this diary every day. Where did we go? Who are the people that we met and had contact with? What time is that? This also helps us in contact tracing," Eleazar said.

As of Wednesday, the PNP Health Service said 55 policemen have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, or Sars-CoV-2, which causes the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Police Brigadier General Herminio Tadeo Jr., head of the PNP Health Service, said all cases are in Luzon.

He said 105 other PNP personnel are considered as probable cases. They include 20 police commissioned officers, 84 police non-commissioned officers and one non-uniformed personnel.

A total of 456 personnel are considered suspected cases, composed of 99 COs, 320 NCOs, and 37 NUPs.

Eight cops have recovered from the disease.

Meanwhile, Eleazar assured the continuous deployment of cops to ensure the strict implementation of the ECQ guidelines.

He said the PNP is also beefing up legal offensive against persons who harass and discriminate against health workers and other frontliners in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eleazar, said the police force's legal team has conducted research on all possible charges that could be filed against any person who would attack or bully the medical frontliners and those found positive for the virus and their families.

Eleazar, said all forms of harassment and discrimination such as physical assault as well as hurling of stones and other attempts to destroy any property of medical frontliners and Covid-19 patients would be covered by the provisions of the Revised Penal Code.

Harassment of medical frontliners and Covid-19 patients online would result in charges of violations of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law.

Owners of houses, condominiums or apartments who would try to evict medical frontliners could be held liable for grave coercion.

“We urge our medical frontliners and the relatives of the Covid-19 patients to immediately report to us any form of attack, harassment and discrimination against them and we will assure you that we will immediately act on your complaints. Your complaints will be our priority,” said Eleazar. (SunStar Philippines)