Additional Confirmed Cases at Hongseong Correctional Institution Cluster Infection... Total 57 Cases

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Additional COVID-19 cases have been confirmed at Hongseong Correctional Institution in Chungnam, where a cluster infection occurred. All of them have been identified as inmates classified as close contacts.

According to the Ministry of Justice on the 18th, 12 inmates at Hongseong Correctional Institution, which conducted the third round of COVID-19 testing for all staff and inmates, tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.

All of the newly confirmed cases were classified as close contacts and had been quarantined since the first confirmed case occurred. As a result, the total number of confirmed cases at Hongseong Correctional Institution has reached 57, including 3 staff members and 54 inmates. The Ministry of Justice plans to conduct a fourth round of testing for all inmates and staff on the 20th.

Earlier, from the 14th to the 16th of this month, the Ministry of Justice conducted COVID-19 testing for all 68,462 staff and inmates at 53 correctional facilities nationwide. As a result, excluding Hongseong Correctional Institution where the cluster infection was confirmed, 17 people tested positive at 12 other institutions.

Meanwhile, to prevent transmission among inmates exposed to confirmed cases and the spread of cluster infections within the facility, the Ministry of Justice is housing all confirmed cases and contact inmates in separate housing units or in single rooms. A Ministry of Justice official stated, "We are strengthening periodic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for contacts and enhancing quarantine measures across the entire facility, including restricting inmate movement and suspending operations at correctional facilities where confirmed cases have occurred."

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