SINGAPORE: A foreign inmate on a social visit pass who recently tested positive for COVID-19 had arrived in Singapore on Jan 10 and was sentenced to jail and caning on Jun 12 for overstaying, the Singapore Prison Service said on Saturday (Jun 20).
Responding to CNA's queries, SPS said: "The foreign inmate was admitted to Changi Prison Complex (CPC) on Jun 6 as a remand prisoner and sentenced on Jun 12 via video-conferencing to four weeks’ imprisonment and three strokes of the cane for the offence of overstaying. He had arrived in Singapore on Jan 10."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAs part of SPS' precautionary measures, all new admissions have to undergo a 14-day cohort segregation. They will undergo a swab test for COVID-19 at the start and end of the segregation period before they are allowed to rejoin the general inmate population, said SPS.
[h=3]READ: 218 new COVID-19 infections in Singapore, including 2 community cases[/h][h=3]MAP: COVID-19 cases visited these places while they were infectious[/h]The inmate, a 21-year-old Sri Lankan, tested negative at the point of admission and has been asymptomatic since. "As such, he does not require treatment or medication," said SPS.
AdvertisementAdvertisementSPS said the inmate was detected to have COVID-19 on Jun 18, while still undergoing cohort segregation. There were two other inmates admitted on the same day as him. They have tested negative for COVID-19 and will be tested again before being allowed to join the general inmate population, SPS added.
[h=3]INTERACTIVE: All the COVID-19 clusters at dorms and construction sites[/h]The authority noted that the inmate will undergo a medical review to assess if he is medically fit, including whether he has recovered, before the caning is carried out.
The inmate has no links to four earlier COVID-19 cases at Changi Prison, SPS said on Friday.
The four earlier cases comprise of three inmates from different cohorts, and a staff nurse from SPS' medical service provider.
On Saturday, Singapore reported 218 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the country's total to 41,833.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
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