Seoul detention center reports 66 more COVID-19 cases

SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- A detention center in southeastern Seoul reported 66 more cases of the new coronavirus following its latest round of mass testing, the government said Wednesday.

According to the justice ministry, the Dongbu Detention Center found 66 more inmates infected with COVID-19 following its sixth mass testing on 429 of its staff members and 338 inmates.

The latest tally raised the total caseload at South Korean prisons to 1,191 -- 1,150 inmates (including released prisoners) and 41 workers at correctional facilities -- as of 8 a.m. The Seoul prison has been responsible for the vast majority of those cases since reporting its first virus case in November.

Of them, 1,047 have been put under isolation at several correctional facilities across the country, including 672 patients at the Dongbu Detention Center and 341 at Cheongsong prison in North Gyeongsang Province.

The ministry said it is considering conducting full-on COVID-19 testing on all inmates and staff at 52 correctional facilities nationwide in a bid to contain further spread of the virus.

nyway@yna.co.kr
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