MANILA, Philippines – A total of 23 sentenced convicts are categorized as suspected cases of coronavirus, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said on Friday, April 17.

“We have no Covid19 positive patients so far. We have 9 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) at New Bilibid Prison and 14 at Correctional Institute for Women that fall under the Suspect category. Total 23 who are being monitored,” BuCor Spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag told reporters Friday.

The BuCor earlier reported to Malacañang that it has isolated 76 inmates and 81 personnel spread across the 7 penal colonies of the bureau nationwide. 

In the current Department of Health (DOH) categories, suspected cases are those:

• With severe acute respiratory illness – fever of 38°C or higher, cough or sore throat, shortness of breath, and may even include severe pneumonia – whose cause is undetermined prior to testing for the coronavirus.
• With influenza-like illness – fever of 38°C or higher, and cough or sore throat – and who lives in or has traveled to an area that reported local transmission of the coronavirus during the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms.
• With influenza-like illness and has had contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 in the two days prior to the onset of that confirmed/probable case’s illness or before that confirmed/probable case showed negative on repeat testing.
• With fever or cough or shortness of breath or other respiratory symptoms and is one of the following: 60 years old or older; with a comorbidity or pre-existing illness; in high-risk pregnancy.

The Supreme Court on Friday gave the government until April 24 to answer a petiition to release low-risk and vulnerable prisoners amid the pandemic. The Supreme Court also asked the government to implement interim measures and report to the Court what it had done so far.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) announced also on Friday that 9 Quezon City (QC) Jail inmates and 9 QC jail personnel have tested positive for coronavirus. – Rappler.com