NusaBali reported that ten detainees remanded by State Prosecutors to Bali’s Kerobokan Prison in North Kuta have tested positive for COVID-19.
The prisoners handed over to the prison by Bali Police were immediately assigned to a special quarantine unit prepared by the Bali Provincial Task Force for the Mitigation of COVID-19.
The head of criminal investigations from the Denpasar Prosecutor’s Office, I Wayan Eka Widanta, said that on Saturday, 01 August 2020, twenty-four detainees were moved from Police custody to the Kerobokan Prison.
“Before the prisoners were handed over, Rapid Tests were conducted that uniformly yielded a non-reactive response,” said Widanta on Wednesday, 12 August 2020.
The twenty-four “new” prisoners were placed in special isolation cells at the Kerobokan Prison for seven days. Then, on Friday 07 August 2020, the Kerobokan Prison undertook swab tests on the prisoner group. Results provided on Monday, 10 August 2020, showed ten of the twenty-four prisoners as “positive” for COVID-19.
Coordinating with the Provincial Task Force for the Mitigation of COVID-19, Eka Widianta placed the ten infected prisoners across three separate quarantine locations. Four were sent to the Provincial Health Training Center (Bapelkes), thee to Wisma Bima in Kuta, and three at the Bali Diklat Peing in Blahbatuh. All ten infected prisoners were delivered under police escort to their place of quarantine.
Following the isolation of the ten prisoners, Bali’s Kerobokan Prison was declared “temporarily closed” to any new prisoners for 14 days.
