4 Inmates and Staff at Dongbu Detention Center
7 in Total Including Hwaseong Vocational Training Prison
Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye is visiting Seoul Eastern Detention Center, where confirmed cases have been reported, on the night of the 8th to inspect the site. [Photo by Ministry of Justice]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] As COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in correctional facilities for the first time in over a year, correctional authorities are strengthening quarantine measures to prevent further spread.
According to the Ministry of Justice on the 9th, a total of seven people tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day: three inmates and one staff member at Seoul Eastern Detention Center, one inmate and one staff member at Hwaseong Vocational Training Prison, and one staff member at Gyeongbuk Northern No. 2 Prison.
The number of confirmed cases may increase. At Seoul Eastern Detention Center, after the first case was reported on November 27 last year, infections reached 1,060 by January (1,018 inmates, 21 staff members, and 21 staff family members), accounting for 43% of the total 2,419 inmates. The Ministry of Justice plans to conduct additional mass testing on the 10th, 14th, and 19th, focusing on the Eastern Detention Center. The testing schedule was set considering the COVID-19 incubation period.
Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye visited Seoul Eastern Detention Center last night to inspect the management of isolated confirmed cases and received a report from the warden on the current status of confirmed cases and measures taken. Minister Park urged, "I ask all staff, led by the warden, to unite and do their best to conduct rapid mass testing and maintain a more thorough quarantine management system."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice stated, "We will make every effort to block the occurrence of COVID-19 in correctional facilities amid this serious quarantine crisis." Regarding the confirmed cases at Seoul Eastern Detention Center, a joint on-site response system was established yesterday between the COVID-19 Correctional Facility Emergency Response Team and Seoul Eastern Detention Center, and discussions were held with the local public health center’s epidemiological investigation team about future additional mass testing schedules and establishing a quarantine system.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice stated, "We will make every effort to block the occurrence of COVID-19 in correctional facilities amid this serious quarantine crisis." Regarding the confirmed cases at Seoul Eastern Detention Center, a joint on-site response system was established yesterday between the COVID-19 Correctional Facility Emergency Response Team and Seoul Eastern Detention Center, and discussions were held with the local public health center’s epidemiological investigation team about future additional mass testing schedules and establishing a quarantine system.
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