31 inmates have been evacuated from the Nairobi Remand and Allocation Prison after they tested positive for Covid-19.
The prisoners were picked from the facility by the Nairobi County Emergency Response Team on Sunday morning and shuttled to various treatment centers in the city.
The 31 were among 59 inmates whose samples were collected on Thursday in the ongoing targeted Covid-19 mass testing, according to Kenya Prison Service Commissioner-General Wycliffee Ogallo.
“…the Nairobi County emergency response team promptly moved in and evacuated the patients to various treatment centers for case management,” said Ogallo in a statement on Sunday.
Ogallo further noted that they have put in place appropriate Covid-19 containment measures in all the 129 correctional facilities around the country.
“The suspension of all visits to our prison stations, Borstal institutions, and youth corrective training centers has also proved effective in mitigating the spread of the virus to the prison population.”
“We are progressively reviewing our precautionary measures based on the current outbreak dynamics of the pandemic in the country,” he added.
In a bid to stem the transmission of the virus in prisons, over 10,000 petty offenders and convicts who had nearly served their entire jail terms were set free to reduce congestion.
