Over 200 detainees infected with coronavirus in Lebanon prison

Relatives of inmates at Roumieh prison stage a demonstration outside the ministry of justice in the Lebanese capital Beirut on September 14, 2020, calling for a general amnesty and for the protection of prisoners following the spread of COVID-19 in the facility. [ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images]

Some 200 detainees in Beirut’s Roumieh prison have contracted the coronavirus, the Lebanese Order of Physicians announced.

President of the Lebanese Order of Physicians, Charaf Abou Charaf, said at a press conference: “There are 200 confirmed infections in Roumieh prison in Beirut suburb.”

“We are afraid the infection situation could get worse, and we request equipping private and public hospitals if the number of infections increases,” he added.

The security forces have recently declared that 22 infections had been registered, including 13 inmates and nine guards, inside Roumieh prison.

According to local media, there are 4,000 inmates in the prison, four times its capacity, raising criticism.

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