Davao City detainees subjected to rapid testing

DAVAO CITY — A total of 448 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at detention facilities of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) underwent rapid diagnostic testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Monday, May 18.

DCPO Director Col. Kirby John Kraft said, in a statement, that they took the initiative to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by having the inmates tested because they are not able to observe social distancing.

So far, all of those tested yielded negative results, and Kraft said in case any of them would test positive for COVID-19, the detainee will undergo a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test that will be made in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) and the city’s COVID-19 Operation Center.

“We have been protecting the public, and that includes the health and safety of our inmates,” he said.

“The 1,360 kits were provided by the City Government of Davao and we are thankful that they have supported and acknowledging this initiative to better protect the welfare of our detainees,” he said.

Kraft said the conduct of rapid testing would provide real-time data of the health status of the detainees in the police stations here.

“The rapid blood test will help us immediately identify who has been exposed to the virus whether they have symptoms or not, so that appropriate and more aggressive measures can be taken to reduce the amount of people who come in contact with the virus and decrease its transmission,” he said.