90 New Positive COVID-19 Cases at the Belize Central Prison

When we last spoke with C.E.O. Virgilio Murillo of the Belize Central Prison a few days ago, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 among inmates stood at nineteen.  Tonight, there is alarming news of additional cases behind prison walls, and that is because of one hundred and ninety samples taken on Tuesday, a whopping ninety have come back positive. It means that the coronavirus has spread dangerously within the congested prison, where a twenty-one day lockdown has been instituted since a daring prison break two weeks ago.  It is known that the effects of the virus spreading inside the prison can be devastating on prisoners as well as staff.  A release late this evening from the Ministry of Health states, “As part of its continued active surveillance across the country, the Ministry of Health deployed a team of officers from its headquarters and the Central Health Region to assess the developing situation at the Kolbe Foundation.  There was an initial desktop review of surveillance, containment measures, and random testing across the prison on October twenty-seventh, 2020. This has resulted in one hundred and ninety samples being processed with the SD Biosensor rapid antigen tests and ninety samples being reactive for COVID-19. The Ministry of Health is working closely with prison officials to further manage and contain the spread at the prison facility. The ministry has advised for further enhancement of sanitary measures to continue to safeguard the overall health of the inmates.”