Ministry of Justice Conducts 10th Comprehensive Testing for Dongbu Detention Center Staff and Inmates

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Ministry of Justice announced on the 17th that it will conduct the 10th full-scale COVID-19 testing at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, where a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus occurred.

The subjects include approximately 460 Dongbu Detention Center staff and about 500 inmates.

Meanwhile, one released inmate from Dongbu Detention Center tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day. Since then, no additional confirmed cases have been reported, and as of 8 a.m. on the 17th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases related to correctional facilities nationwide stands at 1,256. The number of people in self-quarantine includes 708 inmates and 34 staff members, totaling 742, while those released from quarantine include 334 inmates and 15 staff members, totaling 349, along with 165 released inmates.

By institution, Dongbu Detention Center has the highest number with 451 cases, followed by Gyeongbuk Northern 2 Prison with 237, Gwangju Prison with 15, Seoul Nambu Prison with 1, and Seoul Detention Center with 4.

Previously, 20 confirmed inmates from Nambu Prison and 1 confirmed inmate from Yeongwol Prison were transferred to Dongbu Detention Center. These inmates were all incarcerated at Dongbu Detention Center and were transferred according to the policy of dispersed incarceration. After the transfer, they tested positive in additional tests.

The Ministry of Justice plans to transfer inmates from Dongbu Detention Center who tested positive after transfer back to Dongbu Detention Center to prevent further infections at the receiving prisons and manage them accordingly.

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