Coronavirus: Quarantine violators locked in animal cage in Philippines

New Delhi : Quarantine violators in Philippines were abused after five men were allegedly locked in an animal cage, claimed the Human Rights Watch and warned it to be a subject to 'cruel mistreatment'.

The main Philippine island of Luzon, with nearly half of the country's population, was put under a lockdown to stop community transmission of coronavirus spread.

During the lockdown, mass gatherings have been prohibited, traveling to and from Luzon has been suspended and shops selling essential commodities have been allowed to open in the region.

Since the day, lockdown has been put, the cops have arrested hundreds of people of have been caught violating the lockdown regulatons.

Reports of abuse against detainees in areas such as Santa Cruz, in Laguna province just south of Manila, have subsequently emerged.

In one of the images shared on Facebook, five men can be seen locked inside a cage and a security man standing by their side.

Human Rights Watch said that the action from the police came after learning that they were not following the curfew restrictions and were verbally abusive with the officials.

"Police and local officials should respect the rights of those they arrest for violating curfew and other public health regulations, which can be done while still allowing the Philippines government to take appropriate measures to combat Covid-19," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

"Any mistreatment should be immediately investigated, and the authorities responsible held accountable."

The Philippine's containment measures are set to tighten after president Rodrigo Duterte signed a new bill on Wednesday that will grant his administration further emergency powers in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.