LACK OF CONTROL MEASURES AT DETENTION CENTER

[Anchor Lead]

As of yesterday, the Dongbu Detention Center in Seoul reported a total of 726 COVID-19 cases. The widespread infection is being blamed on the facility's confined layout, but released inmates claim the prison’s disease control measures were woefully inadequate.

[Pkg]

A former inmate who was released from the Dongbu Detention Center last week, claims he helped the prison guards check the inmates’ temperatures and fill out medical forms. But he says he experienced something odd after the first COVID-19 cases were found in the prison last month. He saw the prison authorities prescribe just cold medicine to the inmates who complained of sore throat.

[Soundbite] (EX-INMATE(RELEASED FROM DONGBU DETENTION CENTER, DEC. 24)) : "Inmates complained of sore throat. I reported that to the infirmary staff who then prescribed cold medicine."

Sore throat is one of the common COVID-19 symptoms. The former inmate claims the prison responded indifferently to the health complaints.

[Soundbite] "I asked if these people should be tested first and isolated. Our prison guard admitted that they knew, but couldn’t do anything because there wasn’t enough manpower."

Another former inmate, who was released on the same day, told KBS that he was worried about getting infected while helping with the meal service at the prison. He had to personally distribute food in the isolation quarters for new inmates where asymptomatic spreaders could exist.

[Soundbite] (EX-INMATE(RELEASED FROM DONGBU DETENTION CENTER, DEC. 24)) : "I had to handle the food tray he used and talk to him and touch him. There’s always risk of infection."

Only one KF mask was provided per week since December when the first case was reported.

[Soundbite] "Most inmates didn’t wear masks until mid-November. (Not even dental masks?) Only ones we had available were cotton masks. (How about the guards?) They wore proper masks."

As more infections occur inside the prison, some inmates were seen holding signs reading “Help us,” “Eight patients crammed into one room,” and “Letters to outside banned.” The justice ministry explained that masks were not supplied properly due to budget constraints and cough medicine was prescribed to those complaining of sore throat to relieve their symptoms since the symptoms of COVID-19 and common cold were similar.