DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Oct. 27 (PIA) -- City Health Officer Dr. Maria Sarah Talla has reported that all persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and jail officers in the city have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

This is to further ensure herd immunity among PDLs within the facilities of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in the city.

The local Task Force against COVID-19 confirmed that there are no active COVID-19 cases in the male and female dormitories of the BJMP due to strict compliance of health protocols by both PDLs and jail officers.

Dumaguete City Jail Male Dorm Warden J/Supt. Jonairy Sitchon said that to prevent transmission of COVID-19 inside the facilities, even the changing of guards every 14 days is heavily regulated.

There are currently three groups of jail officers: the outgoing officers will relieve those in the support group (stationed outside the facility) who will in turn go on home quarantine while those who completed the home quarantine will enter the facility as lock-in personnel, said Sitchon, explaining the revolving shift system

This cycle of changing the guards is seen as effective in making sure there is no possibility of any personnel from outside becoming a potential carrier of the virus.

Among the other measures adopted by the authorities to prevent transmission inside the facilities are the prohibition of visits, checking of food packages from PDLs' relatives, disinfection, and giving coupons to the PDLs as legal tender inside the facilities. (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental)