GEORGE TOWN, Oct 8 — New detainees will be temporarily sent to the National Service Training Centre (PLKN) after a new Covid-19 cluster was detected at the Penang remand prison here.

The Penang Prisons Department director Mohamed Jusoh Ismail said there will not be any unauthorised entry or exit of inmates to contain the spread of the disease.

"We will not allow any inmates to leave the prison premises nor allow new detainees to be brought in for now,” he said.

He said the prisons department has decided to send all new detainees to the PLKN for now.

"We will only allow an inmate to be taken out of the prison due to certain circumstances, but it will be under strict SOPs,” he said.

The remand prison has also set up a special treatment centre to treat prisoners who were tested positive for Covid-19.

Mohamed Jusoh said the centre, set up with the health department’s assistance, was in preparation for any sudden increase in cases.

"Other than a treatment centre, we have also set up a clinic in prison with a doctor and staff from the health ministry,” he said.

However, he could not confirm the number of Covid-19 positive inmates and staff who will be placed at the treatment centre.

He said the number of inmates and staff who were tested positive for Covid-19 at the remand prison is still under control.

He said testing are still being conducted on all of the inmates and staff.

He added that the health department had also conducted sanitisation of the remand prison today.

Yesterday, Health Director-General Tan Sri Noor Hisham Abdullah named a new cluster at the Penang remand prison where an 85-year-old inmate had died of Covid-19 on October 5.

As at yesterday, six others in the cluster have tested positive for Covid-19 out of 286 tested.

Currently, the six Covid-19 inmates are being treated at the Penang Hospital.