BCPO readies contingency plan

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Although the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) remains free of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the city police force has prepared a contingency plan in case any of them will be infected.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Pico, public information officer of BCPO, said that more than 600 BCPO personnel were deployed in border control check-up points since March 30, when the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was implemented.

Now that the city is under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) since May 1, many police officers were also deployed to areas of convergence such as public transport terminals and shopping malls.

Pico said that policemen deployed to check-up points would usually entertain individuals for checking of their documents and temperature, exposing them to the risk of being infected while at the frontlines of the war on COVID-19.

As part of their precautionary measures, BCPO has temporarily converted its barracks near the guard house and the air-conditioned chapel into isolation rooms that can accommodate about 10 personnel.

Pico said that there was a directive from the Philippine National Police (PNP) for all police officers to undergo rapid testing.

He said that they have already requested rapid testing of BCPO personnel, especially those who were assigned to teams that conducted contact tracing of COVID-19 positive patients.

But, he said they are waiting for the City Health Office (CHO) to schedule the test.