COVID-19: Three new inmates, one nurse tested positive at Changi prison

Three new inmates and one staff nurse working at the Changi Prison Complex had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday (May 29).

"These cases are not linked to one another," said the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) in a statement here today.

SPS said the newly admitted inmates were still undergoing cohort segregation when they tested positive for the virus following a swab test.

"They were immediately isolated from the rest of the newly admitted inmates under segregation and housed in a separate prison facility.

"Two of the inmates have since been discharged from the facility, while the other remains clinically well. The staff nurse has since recovered and is back at work," it said.

According to SPS, there were no cases of further infection of COVID-19 in prisons arising from these cases which detected in late April and early May.

SPS noted that it has implemented a range of precautionary measures for both inmates and staff since the start of the COVID-19 situation to minimise the risk of infection and ensure that cases can be detected early.

As part of these precautionary measures, all newly admitted inmates in the Changi Prison Complex are segregated for 14 days away from the general inmate population.

They undergo swab tests for COVID-19 upon admission and at the end of the segregation period, it said.

During the Circuit Breaker, all family visits and face-to-face programmes for inmates have been suspended, with inmates keeping in contact with their families through phone calls, letters or e-letters, it said.

-- BERNAMA