The cabinet yesterday approved 311.6 million baht to fund efforts to contain Covid-19 outbreaks in several prisons and correctional facilities across the country.
The move came on the same day a prisoner infected with the new coronavirus died.
The 311.6 million baht, to be taken from the government's central budget, was approved to cover the cost of Covid-19 containment measures adopted by prisons and correctional facilities, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said.
The money will be used to buy 100,000 sets of RT PCR Covid-19 test kits (80 million baht), build two field hospitals for critically ill patients at prisons in Greater Bangkok (51.9 million), build 10 field hospitals at other prisons and detention centres (92.6 million baht), build and improve quarantine areas at 65 correctional facilities around the country (49.8 million) and buy protective gear (37.1 million).
As for Favipiravir, the antiviral medication used to treat Covid-19 infected patients with less severe symptoms, the department was told by the cabinet to ask for free supplies from the Ministry of Public Health, Mr Anucha said.
A total of 1,429 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in prisons yesterday with one fatality at the Chiang Mai Central Prison, said Verakit Hanpariphan, deputy director-general of the Corrections Department. The death was that of a 52-year-old male prisoner who tested positive for Covid-19 on May 8 and was subsequently transferred to Nakornping Hospital for treatment, he said.
The inmate, who also suffered underlying conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and kidney disease, died yesterday morning, he said.
So far the cumulative number of Covid-19 infections in prisons and correctional facilities stands at 18,510, while 2,398 of them have already recovered, he said. Currently, 15,914 Covid-19 infected prisoners are being treated across the country, he said.
