A DECONTAMINATION area was set up by the Police Regional Office–Cordillera (PRO-COR) to ensure health of the police force amid the threat of Covid-19.
Police Brigadier General R’win Pagkalinawan, PRO-COR director, explained the establishment of the decontamination facility within Camp Bado Dangwa in La Trinidad, Benguet is a measure instituted by the regional command to ensure the health safety of personnel.
“The creation of a decontamination area at Camp Dangwa located at the entry gate of PRO-COR wherein all police personnel going back and entering the regional command after their duties will be spayed at the designated sanitation area including vehicles because what we considered was that these personnel will be going home and they might be infected not only of Covid-19 but other viruses coming from their uniforms due to the none observance of physical distancing inside their homes,” Pagkalinawan said.
The regional health service of PRO-COR was directed by the regional director to ensure that all personnel will be equipped with the necessary health support services.
“We have instructed our health services department to make sure that all returning police personnel who maybe experiencing fever or whatever will be provided with the necessary health support, aside from making sure that they are well protected with the necessary personal protective equipment and that they will not be infected because once they become infected by the virus, who will be providing services for the public being front liners in conducting checkpoint operations,” the regional director stated.
The regional command has over 6,000 personnel, majority now deployed on field manning checkpoint operations in the entire region.
At the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), there are almost 700 personnel with two-thirds of its force, deployed at checkpoints in the city with remaining personnel in charge of peace and order operations in the country’s summer capital.
Police Colonel Allen Rae Co, BCPO city director, said as of the moment, the police personnel operating in the field is now under a 36 hour duty status, with an eight hour mandatory rest period.
“All our personnel in the field going back to their homes have been briefed on the home decontamination procedures that all personnel should undergo before entering their homes to ensure the non-spreading of Covid-19 including other viruses that their uniforms may have picked up,” Co added.