70k inmates, officers at S.Korean correction centres to get tested for Covid

Seoul, Dec 14 Starting Tuesday, some 70,000 inmates and officers from all correctional facilities in South Korea will get tested for Covid-19 as a precautionary measure following the recent cluster infections among prisoners.

The Ministry of Justice said the mass testing of 17,000 correction officers and 53,000 inmates will run for three days, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The Ministry also said that it will speed up plans to administer booster shots for those who had been fully vaccinated three months ago or earlier.

The move came as a total of 30 people, including 27 inmates, at a prison in Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, were confirmed to be infected with the virus.

Justice Minister Park Beom-kye apologised for the latest mass outbreak and pledged utmost efforts to prevent such cases from recurring.

Last year, mass testing was conducted after infections broke out at a Seoul detention centre.

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