Female paralegal of BJMP tests positive for COVID-19

March 30, 2020

A Bureau of Jail and Management and Penelogy (BJMP) personnel was tested positive for the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), its spokesman announced on Monday.

Jail Chief Insp. Xavier Solda, BJMP spokesman, said a woman paralegal officer at Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory. tested positive for COVID-19. Solda did not name her.

"We want to inform the public that one of our personnel, who is on a work-at-home status, was tested positive for COVID 19 yesterday," he said.

Solda said the female BJMP officer who tested positive has started working from home since March 21.

"This set-up is allowed since she is a paralegal officer, and her job is basically to monitor cases of PDL (persons deprived of liberty) before the court," he said.

"Aside from the nature of her work, she was allowed to work at home during the jail lockdown because she has a pre-medical condition. She has asthma, hypertension, and diabetes," he added.

Solda said the BJMP conduct contract tracing among their personnel who have interacted with their femaleparalegal officer.

"We also had our contract tracing among our staff the last time she visited the jail. The personnel she interacted with were advised by doctors to observe home quarantine," he said.

"Being strict in implementing precautionary measures to protect our jails and offices from COVID 19 does not mean that we are not mindful of our personnel working from their homes. We keep on reminding them to be more cautious and vigilant to protect themselves from the virus," he added.

Solda said "the management of the facility is providing her assistance until she fully recovers from the disease."

"We are also praying that there will be no more addition to the case of one of our personnel who, despite being on a work-at-home status, has contracted the virus. We wish for her full recovery," he said.

"We assure the public that we are doing our best, doubling our efforts in implementing all of our precautionary measures to protect our facilities from the virus," he added. Robina Asido/DMS