QCPD three-day lockdown ends Tuesday

May 11, 2020

The headquarters of the Quezon City District Police (QCPD) was placed in a three-day lockdown last Saturday and which ends on Tuesday after 14 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were found.

Police Major General Debold Sinas, head of the National Capitol Region Police Office ( NCRPO), said ''out of the 1,563 population inside Camp Karingal to include Regional Support Units, target group testing was conducted to a total of 219 personnel. 115 results were released and 14 personnel tested positive for COVID19 infection while 104 are still awaiting for result.''

Sinas said one of the 14 positively tested patients is a member of Joint Task Force (JTF)-NCR while the remaining 13 are elements of QCPD.

Ten of the COVID-19 positive cases are assigned at  district headquarters in Camp Karingal while the three others are assigned in QCPD Police Community Precincts.

“Considering the fact that those who tested positive were previously tasked in the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Quarantine Control Points, it was deemed necessary to immediately conduct preventive measures and reactionary protocol to ensure that the virus will not thrive and infect more of our frontline workers,” he said.

A three-day QCPD Camp-wide lockdown will facilitate  intensive contact tracing for the positive patients, evaluation and monitoring of those who were in direct contact with the positive patients and to have them isolated in the NCRPO Special Care Facility.

The lockdown would allow an assessment on the status of the 104 personnel who underwent testing if they should be placed under quarantine; determine and assess those who will be recommended and prioritized to undergo nasopharyngeal swab test; to decontaminate the whole facility of Camp Karingal  and implement  measures to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 virus to other personnel.

Sinas said Police Brigadier General Ronnie Montejo, QCPD director, who again tested negative for COVID-19, is temporarily holding office at Kamuning Police Station 10.

"Our most important resource against this battle is our human resource. Hence, we opt to implement all possible measures to ensure their safety and guarantee that they are in their optimum health condition as they go to the frontline to face the unseen deadly virus,” Sinas said.

“I commend the action taken by QCPD in handling this crisis well. We pledge all the necessary support that we can provide to alleviate the impact of this crisis to QCPD.  May the good Lord bless and protect us all,” he added.  Ella Dionisio/DMS