Covid-19 claims lives of two East London prisoners
Two prisoners at the East London Correctional Centre have died of Covid-related illnesses, the Department of Correctional Services confirmed on Wednesday.
The department's Singabakho Nxumalo says both had underlying conditions.
"We send our sincere condolences to their families. We continue to work with the Department of Health, adhering to all their guidelines in fighting against this pandemic.”
Nxumalo says another six inmates tested positive for Covid-19 in East London, taking the total number of infections to 165.
"Our health care practitioners are already on-site providing an array of health services. They have been provided with adequate personal protection equipment and they are attending to the cases and are monitoring the situation so that those in need of urgent medical attention can be attended to.”
The department has also recorded a significant increase in the number of Covid-19 recoveries following the recovery of 39 inmates in East London, taking the total number of recoveries to 60.
The Eastern Cape has recorded the highest number of confirmed cases with 100, followed by the Western Cape with 52 and Gauteng with 11.