Confirmed COVID-19 case at correctional facility after one week... Cheongju Prison begins full inspection

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Additional COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in correctional facilities after a week.

According to the Ministry of Justice on the 13th, one staff member at Cheongju Prison tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day. In response, correctional authorities plan to conduct mass testing on approximately 280 staff members and 920 inmates at Cheongju Prison on the same day.

The staff member underwent testing at a screening clinic after a family member was confirmed positive for COVID-19, and the result confirmed a positive diagnosis on the afternoon of the previous day.

This is the first confirmed case in correctional facilities since one inmate who had close contact with a confirmed case was diagnosed positive following mass testing at Seoul Nambu Prison on the 6th, a week ago.

Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, where a COVID-19 cluster infection initially occurred, has entered normal operation. The Ministry of Justice, in consultation with health authorities, began gradually normalizing operations such as kitchen activities from the 8th, as no additional confirmed cases have emerged at Dongbu Detention Center.

To prevent further spread of infection at Dongbu Detention Center, the Ministry of Justice separated 940 inmates into six correctional facilities to reduce density. Within the detention center, confirmed cases, close contacts, and those who tested negative were housed in different buildings to prevent infection risks and provide treatment to confirmed patients.

Meanwhile, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) announced that if no additional confirmed cases occur two weeks after the last case at Dongbu Detention Center on the 22nd of last month, operations would be normalized. Once normalized, kitchen operations will resume, and inmates’ exercise, bathing, and lawyer visits will recommence. Judicial schedules such as trials may also return to normal in consultation with the courts.

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