The number of inmates who have tested positive for Covid-19 at an East London correctional services facility has increased by 49 cases.
According to the Department of Correctional Services, this takes the tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the prisons sector to 78. This includes 53 inmates and 25 officials who have tested positive at the St Albans and at the national head office in Pretoria.
There were 23 officials who had tested positive at the East London facility, one official at St Albans and one official from the headquarters in Pretoria.
Correctional services department spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said as the number of infected people increases, the containment and treatment pillar of the Disaster Management Response Strategy of the department has been activated.
"This is looking at the rapid identification of laboratory-confirmed cases, the isolation of those who test positive and management of the pandemic within our centres," Nxumalo said.
He said health care teams were on site, armed with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPEs), which included goggles, gloves, masks and gowns, rendering care services to distress cases and monitoring those likely to develop acute respiratory challenges.
"Working together with the Health department and Provinces, DCS has a list of hospitals and health care centres where inmates could be transferred in case they require admissions," Nxumalo said, appropriate safe escorts will be employed in order to limit the risk for officials and hospitals receiving inmates in need of care.
Nxumalo said disinfection of the environment at East London Correctional Centre was underway. He said that was to prevent contamination of surfaces and inanimate objects.
According to the department, they are now splitting out-of-cell time for the distribution of food.
"This will mean that units or wings are divided in order to avoid concentration of inmates and officials in open spaces. This measure does not abolish access to open air which is mandatory for inmates."
Nxumalo said visits would remain restricted and the department has since issued a circular advising correctional centres to increase the limit on the amount that inmates are allowed to buy items for from Centre tuckshops.
"This will allow inmates to purchase items from the tuck shops, adhering to social distancing protocols. We have also ramped up toiletries that the we provide to inmates so that offenders are not disadvantaged," Nxumalo said.
He said only two out of 243 centres have reported positive cases of the virus thus far, therefore, it remains critical that prevention measures remain in force and be granulised in order to keep other centres virus free.
He said valuable lessons had been learned at East London and this would influence the disaster response plan moving forward.
However, Nxumalo said it must be acknowledged that, as the virus continues to spread in communities, correctional centres within the same localities will remain vulnerable.
Officials attending gatherings and movements from their residences to places of work is receiving attention, in addition to screening.
"Working jointly with other stakeholders on emergency possibilities and response interventions should the epidemic reach unimagined proportions in the country remains critical."
He said theg have also procured mobile quarantine sites that will assist with isolation cases. That was in addition to centres already identified and prepared for this purpose across all provinces.