File photo of prison inmates
Four remand prisoners have tested positive to Covid-19 at the Asamankese Police Cell in the Eastern Region, the West Akyem Municipal Health Director has confirmed.
Dr. Samuel Agyeman Boateng explained that after a fumigation exercise, the police requested samples of prisoners be taken because some were coughing.
Samples of 10 in-mates available then were taken.
Test results from Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research (NMIMR) which came in confirmed four positive cases out of the 10 that were taken.
The four are in isolation and doing well, Dr Agyeman Boateng said.
Two have been kept at the unused female cells and two at the male cells.
Samples of police personnel have also been taken, awaiting results.
Dr. Samuel Agyeman Boateng pointed out “this becomes the sixth case count for my municipality”.
“We had an index case which recovered,” he noted. “A new case was recorded over the weekend before these four. So we have five active case now.”
Asked what recommendation he gave to police officers to manage new inmates, he said “the courts are still working.
“Ideally fresh in-mates should have their samples taken and quarantined before they join others, but the cells do not have space.”
He added: “This issue is a challenge for all of us as stakeholders to find solutions to.”
