Harvey Weinstein, a former US filmmaker, has tested positive for coronavirus, in prison.
Citing officials at Wende Correctional Facility in Western New York, Niagara Gazette, a local newspaper in Albany, said the 68-year-old tested positive for the killer virus alongside another inmate of the prison.
The development comes about 11 days after the Oscar-winning movie producer was sentenced to 23 years in prison after he was convicted of two felony sex crimes — rape and sexual assault.
Weinstein was said to have arrived Wende from Rikers Island, where there are cases of the pandemic.
Michael Powers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), declined comment on the filmmaker’s health, citing privacy rules.
This was even as he ordered immediate suspension of all “non essential” transfer of inmates from one place to another during for the time being.
“There is no better breeding ground for this virus than a closed environment such as a correctional facility,” he was quoted to have said.
Weinstein’s recent conviction follows a lingering legal battle with multiple women on sexual misconduct allegations, with Lupita Nyong’o, a Kenyan-Mexican actress, detailing her personal experience with Weinstein in 2017.
He has, however, denied wrongdoings.
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