The regional director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), Police Brigadier General Ignatius Ferro, speaks during a Reintegration Program for the 101 COVID-19-recovered police officers on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. | Screengrabbed from PRO-7 live video.
CEBU CITY, Philippines— A total of 101 cops from the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) who recovered from the coronavirus disease are now ready to go back to work.
After overcoming the deadly disease, these cops will now be reintegrated to their posts for their usual duties as police officers.
A reintegration program was held at the Cebu City Resource Management and Development Center (Cremdec) in Barangay Taptap on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 for the recovered cops.
In a phone interview, regional director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro said these officers have already been tested negative for the virus and have completed the needed requirements to ensure that they are fit to get back to work.
“Remember that they have undergone a depressive, physical and mental challenges. We need to prepare them back to be stronger police officers,” Ferro said.
After 14 days in isolation, these police officers were subjected to RT-PCR swab testing. Once testing negative of the virus, these police officers were also made to undergo counseling.
“All those who are in isolation in Cremdec are those who have been tested negative and they are undergoing counseling, spiritual counseling, neuro-psychological counseling to prepare them for the reintegration,” said Ferro.
As of July 29, there are already 511 police officers who contracted the virus, 323 of them have already recovered. This leaves 188 active cases in the force.
In the bid to fight the COVID-19, Ferro had earlier asked recovered cops to donate their convalescent plasma to those still sick with the disease.
Read: PRO-7 chief asks recovered cops to be plasma donors
Aside from becoming plasma donors, the COVID-19-recovered police officers will also continue to help in the contact tracing in the region.
According to Ferro, the PRO-7 has been giving COVID-19-affected police officers full assistance until they have fully recovered. /bmjo