JAIL VISITATIONS IN CARAGA SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19
BUTUAN CITY – Starting March 13, Friday, Butuan City Jail and Agusan del Norte Provincial Jail suspended visitations to stop the entry of COVID-19 in prisons, after the City Mayor, Engr. Ronnie Vicente Lagnada mandated the suspension of classes in all levels in the city.
According to Senior Jail Officer 4 Richard Recososa, chief of Health Service Division in Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) are prone to the virus because of the congestion in the jail.
With this, families of PDLs don’t need to visit in-person and may communicate via video call through the program E-Dalaw.
In Butuan City Jail, one cellphone is provided per cell to use by the PDLs for video calling to their families. Every PDL is given five (5) minutes to use the phone.
Aside from the visit restrictions, the disinfectant section is also in place at the jail’s entrance, where the visitors and personnel undergo body temperature screening through the thermal scanner. Entry will not be allowed if the person has a fever.
Other activities and big gatherings such as seminars, psychiatric exams, and the likes are also canceled by BJMP.
Outside Butuan and Agusan del Norte, in-person visits in Bayugan City, Cabadbaran City, and Cantilan jails are halted after the suspensions were declared in the said areas.
Jail visitation suspensions are expected to increase in Caraga amidst the coronavirus scare.
Meanwhile, BJMP reinforces the proper hygiene practice to the PDLs by recommending the general cleaning of areas and taking a bath daily.
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