Baguio inmates swabbed before detention, release

By Jordan G. Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY -- The city council has approved on third and final reading an ordinance making Covid-19 swab testing mandatory for all individuals committed into the city jail- male and female dorms before their detention and for all inmates due for release. 
    Councilor Francisco Roberto Ortega VI, author of the ordinance, said this is to protect the health and safety of the inmates and the public. 
    According to the ordinance, swab test kits shall be sourced out from the Department of Health- Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) or from the City Health Services Office (CHSO).
    For individuals committed into the correctional facility, the following guidelines shall be followed:
    Following the issuance of a Commitment Order by the proper court, the person deprived of liberty (PDL) shall undergo COVID-19 swab testing to be conducted by a trained nurse at the city jail, DOH-CAR, or Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), in addition to the existing medical examinations imposed by the city jail;
    The PDL shall be detained at the designated detention facility provided by the committing law enforcement agency while waiting for their swab test result;
    They shall be placed in the designated quarantine facility of the city for isolation and treatment in case they tested positive for Covid-19. 
    They shall enter their designated detention cells once they are cleared from Covid-19 as evidenced by the swab test result issued by the BGHMC molecular laboratory.
    For inmates due for release from the correctional facility, the following guidelines shall be followed:
    The inmate shall undergo Covid-19 swab testing to be conducted by a trained nurse at the city jail, DOH-CAR, or BGHMC or inside the designation area at the city jail;
    In case the inmate tested positive for Covid-19 and experiences mild symptoms or is asymptomatic, they shall be placed in the designated barangay isolation center of the barangay where they reside as indicated in the official records for isolation and treatment;
    However, in severe cases or if the concerned barangay has no approved isolation facility, the inmate due for release shal be transported to the city isolation facility.
    Should they be tested negative for Covid-19, they shall immediately be released to the community with prior notice to the concerned punong barangay.
    The recently approved ordinance has been transmitted to the City Mayor’s Office to be signed by the chief executive.