TimesLIVE reports that there are 26 confirmed coronavirus cases at the East London Correctional Centre, three of whom are female inmates and 23 of whom are officials working at the Westbank centre.
This was confirmed by Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, who visited the centre on Sunday. Lamola, Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane and health MEC Sindiswa Gomba were at the prison after a mass testing and screening process was undertaken at the facility. This followed the revelation a week ago that an official had tested positive for Covid-19. Then on Thursday night, correctional services department spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo advised that a second official had tested positive. As a result of the two cases, Nxumalo said 73 other officials had since been tested for the virus. Thirty-two of them have been asked to self-isolate at home seeing that they came in contact with the first positive case.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sandiso Phaliso at TimesLIVE
- Read too, Correctional services to roll out mass screening and testing of prison inmates, at BusinessLive
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page