KUALA LUMPUR: Taiping Prison and its staff quarters will be placed under Enhance Movement Control Order (EMCO) from Jan 26 to Feb 8 following a spike in Covid-19 cases there.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said as of Jan 23, there were 43 Covid-19 cases involving 40 inmates and three prison staff members.
"Based on the advice and risk assessment by the Health Ministry, the government today agreed to implement EMCO at Taiping Prison and staff quarters," he said in a statement.
Ismail Sabri said the EMCO was to facilitate the Health Ministry carrying out targeted screenings on inmates, staff and close contacts to ensure the virus did not spread to the community.
He added the standard operating procedures for this EMCO remains the same as other areas under the same order, with no movements in and out of the prison facilities nor family visits.