Cebu City Jail on lockdown after inmate tests positive for COVID-19

Cebu City Jail has been placed on lockdown after a 41-year-old inmate, who died on Sunday, April 19, tested positive for COVID-19.

Following this, mass testing was conducted, resulting in 123 additional individuals testing positive for the virus.

Of the newly confirmed cases, 114 are inmates and 13 are jail personnel, bringing the total to 127 positive cases within the jail.

Three other inmates who tested positive are currently in isolation.

The Cebu City Jail is severely overcrowded, housing over 6,000 inmates against its capacity of 1,500.

This situation highlights the vulnerability of jails during the pandemic, where physical distancing is difficult to enforce.

The Supreme Court has ordered judges to release prisoners eligible under a 2014 guideline to address jail decongestion.