No new COVID-19 cases reported at correctional facilities for 2nd day

Dongbu Detention Center (Yonhap)

Correctional facilities in South Korea reported no new coronavirus cases on Thursday for the second day in a row, after an alarming surge in a cluster infection at a Seoul prison.

A total of 1,249 COVID-19 cases linked to prisons across the countryb had been reported as of Thursday, unchanged from Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice said.

The government has announced a set of enhanced COVID-19 measures for prisons following the outbreak at the Seoul detention center that has emerged as a hotbed of infections.

Under the new policy, new inmates will be required to undergo three weeks of isolation before entering correctional facilities.

The Dongbu Detention Center has reported 1,193 COVID-19 cases since the first case on Nov. 27.

The Dongbu center has been relocating inmates to other regions to ease overcrowding and reduce infection risk. (Yonhap)