To protect police personnel and their respective families against the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Philippine National Police (PNP) deputy chief for administration Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said regular swab tests will be conducted for its front-liners.

“Our police front-liners and those who are on the ground also have their own respective families. By conducting regular swab tests on them, we are also protecting their families and the community where they live,” Eleazar said in a media interview on Saturday.

Eleazar said police officers in Metro Manila, considered as epicenter of the Covid-19 infections, are the priority in the conduct of frequent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.

“If our personnel are aware that they would be regularly tested, it becomes part of their responsibility to ensure that they are always protected,” said Eleazar, concurrent commander of the Administrative Support for Covid-19 Task Force (ASCOTF).

Latest PNP data showed that a total of 8,505 policemen have already been infected with Covid-19 with 27 reported deaths. Of the PNP’s coronavirus cases, 8,010 have recovered from the disease.

At present, the PNP has two testing centers at Camp Crame in Quezon City and two more facilities will open soon in Cebu and Davao City.

Eleazar said the regular swab test would help police personnel “sustain the operation of the PNP in the service of the Filipinos while waiting for the vaccine.”

Policemen are considered prone to Covid-19 infection as they regularly implement minimum health protocols on Covid-19 as they perform their regular tasks of maintaining peace and order. (PNA)