One prisoner has tested positive for coronavirus in Kayiti Prison, Namutumba district, the Uganda Prisons Services Spokesperson Frank Baine has announced.
The suspect was arrested on L. Victoria and tested over the weekend.
During the joint security task force press conference in Kampala on Wednesday, Baine said that the suspect who had been in isolation in Kayiti prison, tested positive on Monday.
The suspect previously had contact with a person who tested positive of the virus.
“By the close of business on Monday, the results came and found that he was positive. Now, prisons records one case. Fortunately, he was in isolation and at the same time that very day his people had secured his release from prison” Baine said.
He however says they were unable to hand him over to his relatives due to the risk he poses, but instead handed him over to the ministry of health officials who are keeping him in Jinja.
According to Baine, the UPS has decided to isolate the entire Kayiti prison; allowing neither the staff nor the prisoners to leave, due to the confirmed case.
“Kayiti prison is totally closed to the public, all the staff and inmates (199 inmates and 24 staff) are under quarantine. No going out, no going in. Today we are expecting ministry of health to come for some random samples because they were sharing premises, we have to be very sure” Baine says.
Now, Baine says they have reopened Busesa Prisons in Bugweri district which they started with but had been closed for filling up to capacity to resume as an isolation centre for all the new prisoners in the areas of Busoga.
All inmates have been shifted from Busesa to other prisons in eastern Uganda after completing the mandatory 14-days quarantine period.
Meanwhile, Baine also revealed that Kitalya prison has also exceeded its capacity of 3,000 inmates and no more inmates will be allowed in, unless the number has reduced. In the next two days, the Prisons services will open Kauga in Mukono and Kasangati prisons in Kawempe to work as isolation centres.
Currently, Uganda has 665 confirmed cases.
