SEOUL– Some 70,000 officers and inmates from all correctional facilities in the country will get tested for the novel coronavirus as a precautionary measure following the recent cluster infections among inmates at a prison.
The Ministry of Justice said the mass testing of 17,000 correction officers and 53,000 inmates will start Tuesday and run for three days.
The ministry also said it will speed up plans to administer booster shots for those who had been fully vaccinated three months ago or earlier.
The move came as a total of 30 people, including 27 inmates, at a prison in Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.
Justice Minister Park Beom-kye apologized for the latest mass infection and pledged utmost efforts to prevent such cases from recurring.
Last year, mass COVID-19 testing was conducted after infections broke out at a Seoul detention center.
Source: Yonhap News Agency