13 Mandaue cops test positive for COVID-19

CEBU, Philippines — Just like their counterparts in Cebu City, policemen in Mandaue City are also getting afflicted with COVID-19.

Mandaue City Police Office Director Colonel Jonathan Abella, in a press briefing yesterday, said 13 of his men have tested positive for coronavirus while MCPO Station 5 in Barangay Centro has remained on lockdown after some of its personnel were found infected.

Abella told reporters that these 13 personnel were part of those who were swabbed last week.

“Naa na sila sa isolation (center) nato, ang uban atong gi-home isolation, katong nipasar ang ilang balay sa standard na isolation (Some are in the isolation center while others are on home isolation, especially those whose houses passed the standards),” he said.

Of the 13, four are personnel of Station 5.

Abella said Station 5 has long been placed under lockdown, even prior to results of the latest swab tests following infection of one person deprived of liberty detained in the station who also tested positive.

After that, an investigator in the station caught the virus, prompting personnel to go through swabbing, which eventually yielded the latest positive results.

The results came out last Monday.

In the meantime, Abella said, those who will be filing a complaint with Station 5 can instead go to the nearest command center while the nearest police station has also been assigned to respond should there will be alarms supposedly under the Station 5’s jurisdiction.

“Ato na silang gipang-pull out sa ilang respective nga mga duties, tapos naa na sila sa isolation center karon sa Mandaue, sa eskwelahan (We have pulled out the positive cops and housed them at the center),” Abella said.

Most of those who tested positive under the MCPO are frontliners deployed at the quarantine control points from Crisis Response Battalion of Cebu City.

Abella, however, said that they are all asymptomatic.

He assured that Mandaue police continue to implement the standard health protocols by practicing the proper social distancing, proper wearing of masks and face shields to prevent the virus from spreading among their ranks.

Abella added that they have also regularized the disinfection of their police stations.  JMD (FREEMAN)