THE Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) 7 reported Wednesday, June 10, 2020, that 350 jail personnel and inmates from three jail facilities have recovered from the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The number of recoveries represents 53 percent of the 662 total Covid-19 cases in the BJMP managed facilities in the region.
According to the June 7 report of the Department of Health 7, from Jan. 16 to June 6, 2020, there are 438 total Covid-19 cases at the Cebu City Jail, 223 in Mandaue City Jail and one in Lapu-Lapu City Jail.
The BJMP in a Facebook post said the 350 recoveries are from Cebu City Jail at 320, 29 from Mandaue City Jail, and one from Lapu-Lapu City Jail.
The BJMP leadership said all jails in the region are still on "No in, No out Policy," to contain transmission within the jail facility and prevent transmission from the community outside.
BJMP assured that strict precautionary measures are still maintained in all jail facilities in close coordination with the health department and the local government units.
The SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the virus that causes Covid-19, is highly contagious in crowded places. Several jails in the Philippines could be hotbeds of Covid-19 outbreak as they are mostly overpopulated. The Cebu City Jail was built for 1,800 inmates but it has a current population of over 5,000, while the Mandaue City Jail was built for only 119 inmates. Both facilities are run by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). (MVG)