GEORGE TOWN: The implementation of stricter standard operating procedures (SOP) has succeeded in preventing the spread of Covid-19 in three of the state's prisons, with two reporting zero cases.
State Prisons Department director Roslan Mohamed said there were only about five Covid-19 cases at the Remand Prison now, and the inmates who tested positive had been separated from the others.
"At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, several hundreds of cases were reported in the three prisons. However, with stricter SOPs in place, there are only a handful of cases with the Seberang Prai Prison in Jawi and the Satellite Prison reporting zero cases.
"Even at the Remand Prison, there are only five cases reported to-date from the newly-admitted inmates. We make sure we screen all inmates before they are sent to the prisons and those who tested positive will be immediately separated from the other inmates to prevent the spread of the virus," he said when met at the state police contingent headquarters today.
He was here to represent the Prisons Department to receive food aid for frontliners from state Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo.
State police chief Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan received similar aid on behalf of the police force.
Roslan said, until now, 99 per cent of the total 329 prison staff have been vaccinated under the first phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP).
He said the remaining one per cent did not reject vaccination but could not be vaccinated for health reasons.
Meanwhile, Sahabudin said about 86 per cent of the total 6,022 police officers and personnel in the state had been vaccinated, with almost the same percentage having completed the vaccination.
He said those vaccinated were working in the field, who needed to face the people daily as well as those who man police roadblocks.
"The Health Ministry is committed in completing the vaccination for all policemen and policewomen. This is because we need to mobilise them for field duties and others," he added, noting that there have been no reports received so far with regards to side effects from those who were vaccinated.