The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutors’ Office has announced that 65 inmates in the province’s Buca Prison have tested positive for COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus, the Hürriyet Daily News reported on Wednesday.
In a written statement the chief prosecutor’s office announced that the first coronavirus case was detected in Buca Prison on April 19.
Following the first confirmation, “extensive” work to trace those who were in contact with the prisoner was conducted, according to the statement.
A 70-year-old convict who was suffering from a cardiac disorder had been in intensive care but was referred to the hospital’s service unit as his condition had improved.
“All the convicts’ general health is good,” the statement said.
Parliament passed a bill on April 14 that will reduce the sentences of nearly 90,000 prisoners and release them in a bid to ease overcrowding and protect them from a potential outbreak of the coronavirus in Turkish prisons.
The bill drew heavy criticism as it excluded the thousands of political prisoners, including journalists, lawyers, politicians and rights activists.