GEORGE TOWN: A detainee in lock-up at the Nibong Tebal police station, Seberang Prai Selatan, has tested positive for Covid-19.
It is the first such case in the state of Penang, police said.
State police chief Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan said all close contacts of the detainee have since been screened.
He added that all new arrests will now be placed in transit lock-ups while waiting to be screened for Covid-19 by health officials.
Those who test positive will be transferred to hospital, he said.
"They will be housed in police lock-up only if their results are negative.
"As for the active case in question, the detainee was screened in the transit lock-up, and we were informed the following day about the positive result.
"As soon as we were alerted, we immediately screened all the close contacts. We are currently waiting for their test results," he told the New Straits Times.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah yesterday announced 33 new positive Covid-19 cases in Penang, one of whom is the lock-up detainee.
Sahabudin explained that every district has its designated transit lock-up.
"Every district has one or two designated transit lock-ups with different capacities," he added.
According to Sahabudin, all police lock-ups are regularly sanitised with assistance from local councils and the Fire and Rescue Department.
Penang currently has two major Covid-19 clusters – the Penang Remand Prison cluster and the Jawi Prison cluster – making both prisons the third and fourth penal institutions in the country to record Covid-19 infections after Tawau in Sabah and Alor Star in Kedah.
The Penang Remand Prison cluster logged 27 new active cases today, bringing the total number of positive Covid-19 cases to 217, with one death.
The Penang Remand Prison and the prison quarters are currently under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO).
Meanwhile, the Jawi Prison cluster logged five new active cases today, bringing the total number of positive Covid-19 cases to 28.
As of today, Penang has 402 active cases with three deaths.