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| Buses carrying inmates infected with the new coronavirus leave Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul on Monday, to transfer them to a correctional facility in Cheongsong, about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap) |
A detention center in eastern Seoul has reported 233 new cases of COVID-19, raising the total caseload at the facility to 748, the government said Tuesday.
The Dongbu Detention Center found 233 more inmates were infected with the new coronavirus on Monday following its third mass testing, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and the justice ministry. The testing was conducted Sunday on 1,689 prisoners who had initially tested negative.
They were put into cohort isolation in 15 buildings inside the detention center. The prison’s medical staff will take care of patients who show no or light symptoms, while those with severe symptoms will be moved to hospitals, the justice ministry said.
As of Monday, a total of 748 inmates and prison officers have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
A group of 345 inmates who were earlier confirmed to have contracted the virus was transferred to a correctional facility in Cheongsong, about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, that day.
Elderly people and those with underlying medical conditions were excluded from the transfer.
The Cheongsong prison was chosen as a residential treatment center for coronavirus-infected prisoners with mild or no symptoms.
“In order to swiftly contain the situation in which cluster infections are breaking out consistently, (the ministry) plans to come up with additional steps to strengthen antivirus measures in consultation with health authorities,” a justice ministry official said.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, meanwhile, said he was “sorry for the mass outbreak at the detention center managed directly by the government.”
“The possibility of additional community transmission is low, as most patients are inmates, but the number of patients could increase from additional mass testing,” Chung said during a government meeting of top officials in charge of dealing with the pandemic.
According to Chung, the tally of prison-related patients stands at 757 when including the number of workers and their family members who contracted the virus.
Chung also said the government will extend operations of temporary coronavirus screening centers in the greater Seoul area for an additional two weeks starting from Jan. 3. (Yonhap)
