Coronavirus cases in Lebanon’s largest prison soar past 350

Tests have revealed that over 350 prisoners in Lebanon’s Roumieh prison, which lawyers have called a ‘humanitarian time bomb’, are suffering from coronavirus and some prisoners have threatened a mutiny.

MENA

2 min read

�� Staff & Agencies

24 September, 2020

Aggrieved relatives of prisoners in Roumieh have protested against their dangerous conditions [Getty]

Lebanon's largest prison has more than 350 cases of Covid-19, according to new figures released on Wednesday by the police.

The internal security forces issued a statement noting that testing on 956 inmates at had returned 352 positive results.

The grossly overcrowded prison has witnessed mounting discontent among inmates over a .

Videos from inside the prison circulating on social media show some of them threatening a mutiny in the absence of enhanced safety measures.

They want Lebanon's to agree an amnesty that would reduce the population in Roumieh. The prison holds around 4,000 inmates, more than three times its intended capacity.

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Seven infected inmates were hospitalised, the police said, "but all those who remain in prison are in a stable condition."

The head of the country's doctors' union had told AFP on Thursday that coronavirus cases at the prison had exceeded 200.

Speaking to AFP earlier this month, Beirut Bar Association head Melhem Khalaf called the outbreak in Roumieh a "humanitarian time bomb."

Covid-19 infections have surged in Lebanon in recent weeks, especially after a that killed more than 190 people, wounded thousands and ravaged large parts of the capital.

Since February, Lebanon has recorded a total of 30,838 Covid-19 cases, including 315 deaths.

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