BRASILIA, Sept 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — COVID-19 is rapidly spreading through Brazil’s prison system and reformatories, with almost 33,000 inmates testing positive for the coronavirus, according to a report released by the National Council of Justice.
The prison system registered a total of 29,403 cases with 183 deaths, up by a 50.6 percent from a month ago while reformatories saw a 33.9 percent rise with 3,593 cases confirmed.
The first case of COVID-19 among the incarcerated was confirmed in a Rio de Janeiro prison in April.
According to official data, Brazil has the third biggest prison population in the world, with more than 773,000 inmates.
The surge of cases in prisons is due to its overcrowded condition, which prevents the implementation of social distancing measures, said experts.
A total of 3,997,865 cases have so far been reported nationwide with 123,780 deaths, said the Ministry of Health on Wednesday. — NNN-XINHUA
