Nearly 30,000 Covid-19 infections at Thai prisons in recent wave

Nearly 30,000 people at Thai prisons have tested positive for Covid-19 in the latest wave of infections. There are now 13,392 active coronavirus cases at 12 correctional facilities in Thailand, according to the Department of Corrections. 534 new cases and 3 coronavirus-related deaths at prisons were reported today.

In the latest wave of infections in Thailand, 29,734 cases have been detected in prisons and 21 of those patients have died. It is unclear if guards and prison staff who test positive for the virus are included in the numbers.

The department notes that 126 prisons in Thailand are Covid-free. At the Nakhon Ratchasima Central Prison in the Isaan region, governor Kobchai Boon-orana gave a press conference announcing that 6 of the prisons in the region are Covid-free.

To prevent the spread of Covid-19, visits have been suspended and all prison staff in the province must be tested for Covid-19 every 14 days, although most of the officials have been vaccinated. The governor added that new inmates and inmates who have left prison grounds for court hearings or medical treatment need to quarantine for 14 days before being placed among the general prison population.

Last month, the Department of Corrections announced that more than 2,000 inmates at the Bangkok Remand Prison and Central Women’s Correctional Institution had tested positive for Covid-19. The announcement followed news that a pro-democracy protest leader tested positive for the virus after she was released from the women’s jail where she was held in court detention awaiting trial for lese majeste charges.

SOURCES: Department of Corrections | Bangkok Post