Medical teams dispatched to three prisons to treat Covid positive inmates

─positive inmates isolated from general population

─prison officers in home isolation

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony says the inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 at the Lusignan, Timehri and New Amsterdam prisons have all been isolated from the general population. Four prison officers are also in home isolation.

Minister Anthony made the disclosure during Thursday’s COVID-19 update.

“We have had cases in the prisons but these have been primarily at Lusignan. Last year September, we did have a number of cases that would have occurred at Lusignan. Today, we have a few cases at Lusignan, but those cases having been tested and identified. They have now been isolated in a special part of the prison,” Minister Anthony said.

Dr. Anthony said medical teams have been dispatched to support medical staff at the three correctional institutions.   

“The team in Region Six have also conducted testing for the prison officers in New Amsterdam and four of them tested positive, and those four officers are on home isolation. We have also had one prisoner in New Amsterdam tested positive and that person has been placed in isolation as well.”

The Timehri prison has recorded 33 Covid positive cases. This is the largest number among the lot. 

“Those persons have also been placed in a special area where they’re isolated from the rest of the prison population. We have the medical staff from the prison services who are monitoring them. Most of them are asymptomatic, so once they go through that 10-day period at the end of which they will be discharged from isolation.”

Minister Anthony said medical personnel are on standby to render further assistance where necessary.  Last September, 140 prisoners from the Lusignan Prison tested positive for COVID-19. Since then measures have been put in place to deal with any such recurrence at Lusignan and at correctional facilities throughout the country.