Police Regional Office 3 (PRO 3) aims for faster inoculation of its personnel against COVID-19.
In an interview, Police Regional Director PBGen. Valeriano De Leon said it is important to protect personnel from the virus as they not only lead crime prevention efforts but also manage quarantine control points.
“We will not stop coordinating with local government units and the Department of Health to get the police vaccinated as they are in the frontlines. Of course, we give priority to those in the A1 and A2 categories,” he said.
About 7,532 police personnel are fully vaccinated out of the 12,777 staff of PRO 3 as of September 13.
Also, 826 out of the 2,788 personnel assigned in different support units in the region have completed their jabs.
In addition, De Leon shared that it is vital to roll out the vaccination as many of the police personnel have contracted COVID-19.
“As the need for police personnel deployed for crime prevention efforts and quarantine control points rises, our force weakens due to the active cases [of COVID-19] among us,” he said.
PRO 3 recorded a total of 2,512 confirmed cases among Central Luzon cops with 203 active cases; 2,303 recoveries; and 6 mortalities as of September 13.
With this, De Leon assured that personnel at the regional headquarters in Camp Olivas who are tasked to go around subordinated units are observing the minimum public health standards.
“First, we have to use face masks, face shields, and alcohol, and sanitize our hands. We also disinfect high touch areas including door knobs, railings of the stairs, or the tables. This is to ensure that the virus will not spread,” he said.
The official shared that they recently launched a hygiene campaign where they placed sinks in the entrance of Camp Olivas to urge personnel and visitors to wash their hands.