By Ling Hui
KUCHING, April 4: Sri Aman Central Prison has been gazetted as a Quarantine and Treatment Centre for Covid-19 (PKRC) following the detection of 159 positive cases involving inmates and prison staff.
State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the prison itself would serve as a quarantine centre for the positive cases among prisoners there while the hall in the prison is for staff members.
Investigations have found that the placement of over 30 prisoners in one room at the prison was the cause of the outbreak, leading to the emergence of the Tembok Cluster.
Uggah said a total of 322 prisoners have been screened with 156 testing positive and the results of 166 test samples pending.
He also disclosed 131 prison staff underwent screening. Three tested positive for the coronavirus, eight returned negative results and 120 more are awaiting laboratory test results.
“The index case of this cluster was a detainee in Sri Aman Central Prison where they were placed there since March 28, 2018.
“The index case was found positive on April 1, 2021 before he was placed on parole,” he explained during a press conference to give updates on the Covid-19 situation in Sarawak here today.
Despite the high number of cases in Sri Aman, Uggah gave assurance that this only involves the prison where movements of the inmates are confined and there is no indication it has spread to other places in the district.
Uggah, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, noted this is similar to the situation a few weeks ago where a cluster was detected in the Semuja Immigration Depot at Serian.
“Although the number was a lot at the time, the situation was brought under control in 28 days because the movements of the positive cases are restricted and all of them are in the detention centre.
“So, for this Tembok Cluster in Sri Aman that took place in Sri Aman Central Prison, they are in the same condition with all of them detained in the prison. There is no widespread (sic) across the whole of Sri Aman,” he said. — DayakDaily
