RAMALLAH, Wednesday, August 26, 2020 (WAFA) –  A number of prisoners in Israeli imprisonment were confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus COVID-19, according to the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission.

The Commission said in a statement that a number of prisoners, in Ofer, a notorious detention facility, west of Ramallah, tested positive for the highly contagious virus, which prompted the closure of the facility’s section 21, which houses some 160 prisoners.

It added the dozens of prisoners in the section were tested for the virus, and the test results were not obtained yet, which raises concerns about a spike in the confirmed cases among prisoners.

It noted that the Israeli Prison Services (IPS) transferred all prisoners in from rooms 10 and 16 to section 18, which has been designated for quarantine, and forced the remaining prisoners into quarantine in section 21 for 14 days.

The Commission identified one of the infected prisoners as Mohammad Shams al-Din Shamasneh, a resident of Qatanah village, northwest of Jerusalem, who was released on Tuesday.

It pointed out that the IPS decided to designate a special section for quarantine for infected prisoners in "Hadarim" prison, and a special section for those who came in contact with the infected ones in "Hasharon" prison.

During a phone call with WAFA, Head of the Commission Qadri Abu Bakr voiced his concerns on a possible increase in the number of cases among the prisoners due to medical negligence, and held the Israeli authorities fully responsible for their safety.

K.T./ K.F.