Gwangju Prison Staff Confirmed with COVID-19... Over 40 Colleagues Exposed (Update)

Gwangju Prison exterior view. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgi Kim] An employee of Gwangju Correctional Institution in Gwangju Metropolitan City tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), raising an emergency to prevent further spread among inmates and staff.

According to health authorities on the 9th, a man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, was confirmed positive for COVID-19 and registered as Gwangju case number 520.

Mr. A, an employee of Gwangju Correctional Institution, underwent testing after experiencing fever and cough symptoms. The exact route of infection has not yet been determined.

However, since he recently visited an acquaintance in the Seoul area and went to a PC bang, health authorities are investigating the connection.

With a correctional officer confirmed positive, an emergency has been declared to prevent further spread.

It has been identified that Mr. A came into contact with about 40 correctional officers during work, but no direct contact with inmates has been confirmed so far.

The correctional institution canceled all civil complaints and lawyer visitations starting from the morning of the same day.

Approximately 2,000 inmates are housed at Gwangju Correctional Institution, with about 500 staff members working there.

Health authorities plan to conduct an epidemiological investigation within the correctional institution to identify additional contacts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.