Director: Zero Covid-19 cases in Penang Remand Prison since June 2021
GEORGE TOWN, Aug 4 — The Penang Remand Prison has not recorded any Covid-19 cases since June last year after the facility tightened its standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Prison director Mohamad Jusoh Ismail said the facility had done so to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“We conduct strict testing before taking in new inmates and they are first quarantined at the Bukit Mertajam satellite prison before they are again quarantined here and placed in a cell,” he said after a Maal Hijrah event at the prison today.
He added that about 98 per cent of the inmates at the prison have been vaccinated.
“The other 2 per cent of inmates who have not been vaccinated are new inmates,” he explained.
He said the Health Ministry conducts regular checks to ensure all inmates are not infected with Covid-19.
“We send regular reports on the latest Covid-19 situation in the prison to the Health Ministry,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said the capacity at the Penang Remand Prison is still under control, with about 1,058 inmates currently.
“The prison capacity is between 700 and 1,200 inmates, so currently, it is not overcrowded,” he said.
