IPHO-Maguindanao lifts localized lockdown in police camp
HEALTH • 17:45 PM Sat Sep 5, 2020
761
By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
Dr.Elizabeth Samama (Photo from IPHO-Maguindanao)
COTABATO CITY – After all the 34 police officers and police trainees have completed the 4-week hard lockdown, health officials in Maguindanao have lifted the containment of Covid-19 positive patients inside the police regional office in Parang, Maguindanao.
Dr. Elizabeth Samama, Maguindanao health chief and heaD of Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), said occupants and police trainees inside the Regional Training Center of Police Regional Office (PRO-BARMM) have finally completed their 4-week hard lockdown.
“They are now reintegrated to the community,” Dr. Samama said. During the period, 34 police officers and trainees have been prevented from leaving the training center after they tested positive to the virus.
Dr. Samama said individual assessment was done Friday by the medical team of IPHO-Maguindanao and PRO-BARMM Health Services Division of all personnel who were on quarantine before they were given “clearance.”
“This was followed by discussions on intensified protocols to prevent similar outbreaks in the future,” Dr. Samama said.
“Overall, PRO-BARMM's response to contain the outbreak is commendable. This is in consideration of the large number of police officers held in quarantine for over 4 weeks including the call to put the camp on hard lock down,” she added.
The police officers were hit by local transmission inside the camp after an Iligan City based tailor came over to Camp Gen. Salipada K. Pendatun, the police regional office for BARMM, to facilitate measurements of police uniforms.
Upon the tailor’s return to Iligan City, he tested positive of Covid-19 and infected his tailoring workers and his family.
The police in Camp Parang were worried they were infected by the virus so they sought assistance from IPHO-Maguindanao and subjected themselves to swab tests.
Of the more than 90 police officials and trainees, 34 turned out positive of the virus, thus the localized lockdown inside the police camp.
Dr. Samama lauded the cooperation of all police officers and their loved ones that was instrumental in the successful journey of police officers back to normalcy.