Prison Authorities appeal for Covid-9 test of all inmates.

By; Ben Musanje

24^th Aug 2020

Prison authorities have asked the Health Ministry to test all inmates and prison staff for Covid19 to establish their status. 

It comes a few days after 153 inmates and a prison warder at Amuru Prisons tested positive for Covid19.

Two inmates at Peche isolation center also tested positive for Covid19 through random testing by the Health Ministry a fortnight ago according to the Uganda Prisons Service Spokesperson, Frank Baine and also wants Police to test all suspects before passing them to prisons.

Whereas testing a single individual for COVID-19 costs Shillings 222,000 (US$60), Baine says it is less costly to test than to treat the disease.  In order to reduce congestion in prisons, government pardoned 833 minor offenders in April, 2020.

In July, the president Museveni directed the release of all people that were arrested for violating the COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures.

Uganda has so far registered 2,362 cases of Covid19, 1226 recoveries and 22 deaths.

Meanwhile the Uganda Police Force has closed its headquarters in Naguru – Kampala for three days for fumigation and disinfection against COVID-19 according to the Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga.

Yesterday, the Police Chief Political Commissar AIGP Asan Kasingye declared on his tweeter handle for having testes positive of Covid-19. Now Enanga says that all police officers from all the 1600 police stations will have to test for COVID-19 later.