THE CITY jail or reformatory center has remained restricted to visitors due to the continuing threats posed by the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Jail Supt. Peter Bongat, city jail warden, said Thursday they have extended the temporary suspension on the visit privileges of its around 1,500 inmates or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) as part of their enhanced control measures against the disease.
The suspension was first implemented by the jail management in March due to the increasing cases of Covid-19 in parts of the country.
He said they learned from the experiences of other jail facilities in the country that reported surging cases of the disease at the start of the pandemic.
“As of now, we are still considered Covid-19-free and we are doing everything to maintain that status,” Bongat told reporters.
To ensure that PDLs can still communicate with their families and lawyers, he said they adopted the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s “e-dalaw” program.
He said PDLs may see their families via electronic means through 15 personal computers earlier donated by the city government.
They also provided nine cellphones that the inmates could use to send text messages or call their families.
Aside from the visitor restriction, Bongat said they established quarantine protocols for newly-committed PDLs and those attending court hearings.
He said they have prepared three cells that serve as quarantine and isolation facilities for male and female inmates.
“We require the newly-committed and those who attended court hearings to undergo strict mandatory quarantine for 14 to 21 days,” he added. (By Richelyn Gubalani)
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