The Quezon City government announced on Wednesday, July 28, that 82 of 161 cops assigned to a Novaliches police station tested positive for COVID-19.

The cops underwent RT-PCR testing on Friday, July 23, and the results came out in two batches – first on Tuesday, July 27, then on Wednesday.

Before the results were released, 51 of the COVID-positive cops were deployed to different parts of Quezon City when President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, July 26.

A total of 118 Quezon City cops assisted during Duterte’s final SONA, according to Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Police Brigadier General Antonio Yarra.

This means 43% of the QCPD cops assigned to different parts of Quezon City during Duterte’s final SONA were positive for COVID-19.

The cops who tested positive are assigned to QCPD Station 3 in Talipapa, Novaliches, which covers the Unang Sigaw and Bahay Toro police community precincts. Nearby barangays include Greater Lagro, Bagbag, and Fairview.

All the infected cops are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic, according to City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit chief Dr. Rolando Cruz.

Among the infected cops, 48 were admitted to quarantine facilities on Tuesday, while the remaining 34 were set to be admitted on Wednesday, according to Cruz. The city government said the cops were tested on Friday as part of their free COVID-19 testing for frontline workers.

The outbreak of virus among QCPD cops occurred as the country battles the local transmission of the highly-transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19.

Under monitoring

The CESU is currently monitoring the communities near the precincts to determine if granular lockdowns will be implemented.

Lieutenant Colonel Cristine Tabdi, commander of the Talipapa Station 3, said the station will continue to operate but access will be restricted. Visiting inmates is strictly prohibited, according to the station commander. 

Tabdi also vowed to probe how the outbreak happened in the station under her supervision. 

The Talipapa Station 3 remains operational despite the COVID-19 outbreak, unlike the Manila Police District Station 11, which was put under a specialized lockdown in March after 48 of its police officers tested positive for the virus. 

As of July 28, the PNP recorded a total of 30,010 policemen who tested positive for COVID-19. Of these infections, 917 are active cases, while 81 died due to COVID-19 complications. – Rappler.com