Hundreds of Prisoners Test Positive for Coronavirus in China, 11 Officials Sacked

The novel coronavirus has spread to Chinese prisons in at least three provinces, resulting in 11 officials recently being sacked for their failure to contain the disease.

Two hundred prisoners and seven prison wardens tested positive for the virus as of Feb. 20 at Rencheng prison in eastern China’s Shandong Province, reported news portal Sina on Feb. 21, after tests were conducted on 2,077 people relating to the prison.

The test results were announced by the provincial government in Shandong in a press conference Friday morning.

The testing came after one of the prison wardens was isolated after going to a local hospital over a cough on Feb. 12. The warden tested positive for the virus on the following day. On that same day, another warden also tested positive for the virus.

Sacked