Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony today confirmed that a number of prisoners and prison officers have tested positive for COVID-19.
“Today we have a few cases at Lusignan, but those cases having been tested and identified we have not isolated them in a special part of the prison.
Dr. Anthony also said that four prisoners officers at the New Amsterdam Prison are in isolation after testing positive for the infectious disease.
“We have also had one prisoner in New Amsterdam, who has tested positive and that person has been placed in isolation as well. We have had a number of cases at Timehri, we have 33 prisoners who tested positive at Timehri, and those persons have also been put in a special area where they are isolated from the rest of the prison population”.
The Health Minister has said that the medical staff of the prison service is monitoring the cases. Anthony said most of the cases are Asymptomatic as such once they clear the ten-day period then they will be released from isolation.
Last year riots broke out at the Lusignan prison resulting in the deaths of two prisoners and injuries to others and prison officers over the handling of those infected with the disease at the facility.
Meanwhile, Guyana’s active COVID-19 cases now stand at 754, an increase of 90 new cases. The Ministry of Health in its daily dashboard has 710 people on approved home isolation and 44 in institutional isolation. Seven persons are in the COVID-19 ICU. The total COVID-19 cases recorded from March of Last year now stand at 7,470.