Derelict prison officers sentenced over COVID

Five former prison officers were sentenced on Monday for behaviors that led to a cluster of coronavirus infections early last year, according to a statement published on the WeChat account of the Shandong High People's court.

The ruling was announced via video platforms by courts in Jinan and Jining, Shandong province. The prison is located in Jining.

Three former prison officials were sentenced to prison for dereliction of duty. Wang Wenjie, the former deputy director of the Prison Administration of Shandong, received one year in prison. Liu Baoshan, former head of the Rencheng Prison in Jining, received two years and three months. And Deng Tihe, former deputy head of the prison received a one year sentence.

Two other officers of the prison — Chen Minhua, a correctional officer, and Dai Guanghui, a driver — were sentenced for disturbing the prevention and treatment of an infectious disease.

Chen was sentenced to one year and six months, with a two-year probation.

Among the prison's first group of officers working in a closed area due to the outbreak on Jan 27, Chen had close contact with several colleagues and inmates, but he did not report his suspected symptoms of COVID-19 until the prison found them on Feb 12. He was identified having been infected after being hospitalized.

Dai was sentenced to one year, with one-year probation. A family member had close contact with a neighbor in January who had returned from Wuhan, Hubei province, a city hit hard by the virus. But Dai hid the fact several times during local government inspections. He didn't report the contact until many prisoners had been infected. He also tested positive himself.

On Feb 21, more than 200 confirmed cases of the virus were reported in Rencheng Prison.