New inmates should be isolated for 14 days – Health Ministry

COVID-19 | Authorities should isolate new detainees for at least 14 days before letting them mix with other inmates in detention centres, said the Health Ministry.

This followed the spike in the number of Covid-19 positive cases among prisoners and prison wardens in Lahad Datu and Tawau, Sabah.

"We have identified two undocumented migrants as the index cases in this cluster. (Initially), during screening, they did not show any symptom nor that they had a fever.

"These detainees were then placed at the Lahad Datu district police headquarters' lock-up and Tawau prison. Although they did not have any symptom or fever, an infection can still occur when detainees are placed in the same cell.

"In our SOP, if possible, we must isolate new detainees with those who have already been there," said Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah during a press conference in Putrajaya today,

He was asked whether the outbreak had to do with any issue concerning SOPs implemented at the detention facilities.

Noor Hisham added that Covid-19 has a 14-day incubation period, and thus detainees should be isolated for the same period.

This should be the case even when laboratory test conducted on a detainee has returned a negative result.

"Maybe the implementation (of SOPs) should not only be in prisons but also detention depots. We must ensure that there is no mixing between new inmates and those who have already been there.

"Only after the 14-day incubation period that they should be allowed to mix," he said.

On Sept 1, the health authority detected a new cluster of Covid-19 infection among prisoners in Tawau and inmates of police lock-up in Lahad Datu. It was then named as the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster.

As of noon today (Thursday), the cluster has recorded a total of 170 positive cases involving both detention facilities, including 40 cases which were detected in the past 24 hours. Among those tested with the virus were prison wardens and their family members.

This was the latest cluster that saw an outbreak in detention facilities in the country.

Prior to this, the Immigration Department had also seen outbreaks at five of its detention facilities in Selangor and Putrajaya.

Almost 800 individuals, mostly immigration law violators, were infected in the outbreaks at the immigration depots. One of the facilities, namely the Semenyih 2 Detention Depot, is still considered as an active cluster.

Meanwhile, during the presser, Noor Hisham said the ministry is conducting research to see if two active infection clusters in the northern states have any connection with each other.

The Telaga and Sungai clusters have so far infected a total of 53 individuals, including two healthcare services personnel.

"The Institute for Medical Research is conducting tests to see the genotyping (of the virus in the clusters. So far, we haven’t found a connection," he said. - Mkini