Remand Prison Cluster: Seven new COVID-19 cases involve inmates from same cell

Penang Remand Prison director Mohamed Jusoh Ismail all of them, linked to the Remand Prison Cluster were currently being treated at the Penang Hospital and were reported to be in stable condition.

"The seven other individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday were in the same cell as the male inmate who died on Oct 5 and seven others (inmates) who were also positive before. So far, the source of infection is unknown.

"Any inmates or staff who had come in close contact with them have been isolated and quarantined in to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the prison," he said when contacted by Bernama today.

COVID-19 screenings are ongoing and as of yesterday, about 1,000 out of 2,300 inmates in the prison have been screened.

Mohamed Jusoh said all 320 staff at the Penang Remand Prison have also undergone COVID-19 screenings and so far, none of them has tested positive.

He said, for the moment, new inmates are temporarily placed at the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) camp.

Yesterday, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there were seven more new COVID-19 cases involving the Remand Prison Cluster recorded, bringing the total number of cases to 15.