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| Seoul East Detention Center, Songpa-gu, Seoul. 2021.1.12/News1 © News1 Reporter Seungbae Lee |
As a result of conducting the 8th full test of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) at the eastern detention center in Seoul, 7 additional prisoners were confirmed. This is the first time that a confirmed person has recorded a single digit in the total examination.
However, as the first confirmed case among female prisoners occurred recently, five additional female prisoners were confirmed on this day, raising concerns about whether the fading group infection embers would spread again among female prisoners.
According to the Ministry of Justice on the 12th, 7 detainees (2 males and 5 females) were confirmed as a result of the 8th total investigation conducted the previous day at the Eastern Detention Center. However, all of the 250 female prisoners who were transferred from the eastern detention center to the Daegu prison were negatively judged.
The Ministry of Justice previously transferred more than 250 negatively judged female prisoners to the newly built Daegu prison, excluding those with direct or indirect contacts and underlying diseases when the first confirmed case among female prisoners in the Eastern Detention Center occurred.
The large-scale infection in the eastern detention center seems to have subsided after going through eight full tests for about a month. However, it is pointed out that there is concern about massive n-th infection among female prisoners whose first case was confirmed on the 9th.
The Dongbu detention center has been controversial by excluding all female prisoners from the 6th full test because all of the female detainees at the 1st to 5th tests were negative. Eventually, a female confirmed person occurred in the 7th total examination, and most of the confirmed patients appeared as female prisoners on that day, raising the possibility of spreading the infection among female prisoners.
However, correctional authorities say that the possibility of group infection in the future is small. One official said, “Not only the prisoners who lived in the same room as the confirmed patient, but also all prisoners who shared the hallway are living alone.” It is known that about 80 female prisoners remain in the Dongbu Detention Center after being transferred to Daegu Prison.
Currently, the quarantine authorities have initiated an epidemiological investigation on the first confirmed female prisoner, but the exact route of infection is still unknown. The authorities are investigating the possibility of infection through contact with employees and the possibility of transmission through the air.
Some pointed out the problem of the structure of the air conditioning system in the detention center designed to circulate air between floors, but the eastern detention center explained that “the air conditioning system shared between the receiving dong and the living room is not installed, and the ventilation method uses a window.” .
Meanwhile, as of 8 a.m. on the 12th, a total of 1238 corona confirmed cases in correctional facilities nationwide. This is an increase of 12 people from the previous day. Of these, 911 confirmed prisoners, 34 employees, and 118 prisoners, excluding those who were released from quarantine.
By institution, the number of confirmed detainees was 623 in the eastern detention center in Seoul, 247 in the 2nd Gyeongbuk prison, 16 in Gwangju prison, 17 in Seoul southern prison, 1 in Seoul detention center, 7 in Gangwon north prison (including 4 re-entry after cancellation of execution suspension) to be.
In addition to the 7 additional confirmations according to the 8th total investigation, it was found that 3 persons released from the Dongbu detention center also received confirmation judgment after release. Two additional employees of Sangju Prison were confirmed.
In addition, 85 of the detainees who were classified as asymptomatic and mild patients after being diagnosed at the Dongbu Detention Center last month and transferred to the North Gyeongsangbuk-do Second Prison were tested negative twice, and quarantine was lifted.