All prisons shut doors for visitors to keep Coronavirus at bay
July 08, 2020- 316 inmates and officers at Welikada prison underwent PCR tests
- Prisons Dept. stopped visitors to prisons islandwide until further notice
A total of 316 officials and inmates at the Welikada prison have undergone PCR tests after one inmate at the prison ward I-2 was tested positive for coronavirus yesterday (July 07).
“PCR tests conducted so far have reported 210 of them as negative The remaining tests results are expected to be received this evening”, Prisons Department Commissioner (Administration) and spokesman Chandana Ekanayake said.
According to Ekanayake, 186 inmates, who had close contacts with inmate tested positive, were directed to the Punani quarantine centre following PCR tests, last night.
Seven prison officials attached to the Welikada prison have also been sent for quarantine.
Meanwhile, the Prisons Department has stopped all visitors to all prisons until further notice as a mitigation measure to contain the spread of Coronavirus.
The inmate tested positive for the virus was transferred to the Welikada Prison from the Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Kandakadu.