UPDATE: Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya has decided not to permit any visitors to all the prisons in the country, until further notice.
Prison Commissioner Chandana Ekanayake told the Daily News that this decision was taken after an inmate at the Welikada prison tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday (7).
Ekanayake said that a total of 310 individuals, including inmates and prison officers at the Welikada Prison were subjected to PCR testing on Tuesday (7) and the results of 250 of them had been received and they were found to be negative. Meanwhile, the Head of the National Operation Centre for the Prevention of Covid-19, Army Commander Lt. Gen.Shavendra Silva noted that around 40 inmates had been brought to Colombo from the Kandakadu Detention Centre together with the inmate who tested positive.
The infection was detected however, when they were routinely subjected to PCR tests prior to being taken back to Kandakadu.
He said that under the instructions of the President,186 inmates at the prison were moved to a separate quarantine centre in Punanai supervised by the Army.
However, the quarantine procedure of these inmates will be handled by the prison officers as they are currently under the custody of the Prisons Department, he said.
Meanwhile seven prison officers attached to the Welikada Prison have also been directed to the quarantine process.He said that starting from the building that the infected prisoner was being held, the prisoners in the entire building would be tested and PCR testing had begun by Tuesday night. The testing continued throughout yesterday as well and the results were expected late last evening. However, by 6.00 pm yesterday, the PCR test results had not been received.
Commander Silva noted that once the PCR test results are received, it would be possible to determine where the relevant prisoners had contracted the virus. However, he also noted that some of the drug addicts who were apprehended in Suduwella around a month ago during a drug bust, around 60 of them had been sent to the Kandakadu Drug Rehabilitation Centre.
He also noted that by today (9), depending on the PCR test results, they would be able to determine if there is a possibility of the virus spreading in society. Despite many countries experiencing a second wave of the Covid-19 virus, Sri Lanka has done relatively well, said the Commander as there have not been any community cases reported since April 30.
However, the Army Commander regrettably noted that some people are behaving as if they have forgotten the Coronavirus threat completely. He warned that there is a grave danger of the Coronavirus spreading due to the negligence of some people who fail to adhere to health guidelines and wear masks and maintain social distancing.
All prisons closed to visitors-Time: 14:16
The Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya said that, visitors will not be allowed in all the prisons in the country, until further notice
This decision has been taken following the detection of a prisoner who tested positive for the COVID-19.
Over 300 prisoners and staff members of the Welikada Prison were subjected to PCR tests yesterday.
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