Lapu-Lapu City jail officer among those found positive for COVID-19

Lapu-Lapu City’s crisis manager Nagiel Bañacia and his team fetches the two new COVID-19 positive patients from Sitio So-ong Mactan and Sitio Langub Poblacion. CDN Digital photo | Norman Mendoza

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu – A 40-year-old female jail officer detailed at the Lapu-Lapu City Jail was found positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

According to Lapu-Lapu City’s crisis manager Nagiel Bañacia, Lapu-Lapu City jail officers were among those tested in compliance to a memorandum from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The jail officer was among two who tested positive from Lapu-Lapu in the Department of Health (DOH) results on Thursday afternoon.

The other new COVID-19 positive patient is a 50-year-old Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) who was just released last week from the Mandaue City Jail.

He lives in Sitio Langub Barangay Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu City.

After learning of the results, Bañacia and his team started cordoning the areas affected after explaining to the subject persons and nearby households about the lockdown, contact tracing, and isolation procedures.

Bañacia said the woman officer may have contacted the virus from one of the PDL visitors of the jail facility as she was just assigned at the gate.

The facility’s nurses are strictly monitoring the PDL in case anyone manifests symptoms of the disease.

Visiting and accepting packages for PDLs have been suspended since the enhanced community quarantine  started.

Bañacia added that contact tracing is being done on the other patient. He said the PDL allegedly visited his friends in Barangay Looc in Mandaue. Bañacia has already informed the Mandaue City Health Office about this. /bmjo