Covid-19: Minister Ronald Lamola launches prison screening programme
The screening of inmates is a precautionary measure after an official stationed at East London Correctional Centre tested positive for Covid-19.
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola launched a Covid-19 prison screening programme on 8 April.
The Department of Correctional Services confirmed on 6 April that an official stationed at East London Correctional Centre in the Eastern Cape had tested positive for Covid-19.
A statement released by the department said, “As part of our precautionary measures, officials who came into contact with her have been identified and asked to isolate at home whilst awaiting for testing.”
The National Institute for Communicable Disease commenced with mass screening and testing at the correctional centre. “Prevention measures will continue to be intensified, whilst mass screening scheduled for all correctional centres shall assist the department in its efforts of averting the transmission of the virus. Correctional Services would like to appeal for calm during this period. We are committed to the wellbeing of offenders and officials in the department.”
The statement concluded, “On behalf of management and staff, the National Commissioner, Arthur Fraser has conveyed well wishes to our colleague who is in a stable condition in hospital. Commissioner Fraser has called on all of us to lend support to our colleague as she continues to recuperate in hospital.”
In an interview with SABC, Lamola said, “Firstly, we have had to deal with the risks and the risks include visitation to the centre, so the first thing we did is to suspend visits, we’ve also suspended the bringing of money and other items.”
He added that all officials coming to work will be screened and will need to wash their hands before entering. He said that all centres will be disinfected, sites have been prepared for isolation if an inmate is suspected of contracting the virus and they have prepared quarantine areas for patients that test positive.
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