Prisons to Reject Suspects without COVID-19 Certificates
The prisons service has indicated that it will not take into custody any suspect without a negative Covid-19 test certificate.
This comes a few days after 153 inmates and a prison warder at Amuru Prisons in Northern Uganda tested positive for Covid-19.
Another two inmates at Peche isolation center also tested positive for Covid-19 through random testing by the Health Ministry a fortnight ago
Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson, Frank Baine told journalists that, to avoid further spread of the virus among inmates and prisons staff, they have asked the Police to test all suspects before passing them to prisons.
The prisons authority has also asked the Health Ministry to test all inmates and prison staff for Covid-19 to establish their status.
Whereas testing a single individual for COVID-19 costs Shs 222,000 (about $60), Baine says it is less costly to test than to treat the disease.
In April, about 833 prisoners, mostly those on minor offences were pardoned as government moved to reduce congestion in prisons as a precautionary measure against the spread of Covid-19.
Uganda has so far registered 2,263 cases of the Covid-19 pandemic, 1226 recoveries and 20 deaths.
