THE visits to the jam-packed detention cell of the Cebu City Police Station 6 in Barangay Sawang Calero have been suspended after seven of its persons deprived of liberty tested positive for Covid-19.
The results of their swab tests came out on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, before they were transferred to the Cebu City Jail in Barangay Kalunasan.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Deputy Director for Operation Wilbert Parilla said the persons deprived of liberty (PDL)—one woman and six men—who tested positive for Covid-19 had been caught for their involvement in the illegal drug trade. All of the PDL showed no symptoms.
There are two detention cells at Police Station 6—one for male PDL and the other for female PDL, and each was designed to hold 10 to 15 persons.
Currently, the holding cell for men has 36 PDL, while the one for women has 13 PDL. The PDL are required to wear masks.
To maximize the space, some of the PDL, especially inside the male detention cell, made hammocks so they could sleep well at night.
Most of the PDL were caught for their involvement in the illegal drug trade. They have been detained in the past three months.
The seven PDL are now in Cebu City Jail’s isolation facility where they will be quarantined for 14 days.
Parilla said the police station in Sawang Calero was disinfected.
Persons involved in the illegal drug trade who will be caught this week will be brought to other police stations or to the CCPO headquarters’ detention cell.
Parilla said the CCPO will ask the Cebu City Hall to allow the use of a detention bus stationed at Plaza Independencia as the temporary holding cell for persons involved in petty crimes such as theft and illegal gambling.
Health authorities have conducted contact tracing to find the close contacts of the PDL. The police escorts were already swabbed.
Parilla said the coronavirus could have originated from one of the visitors of Police Station 6. (AYB, GPL / KAL)