Detention Centres: Coronavirus

(asked on 30th October 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many covid-19 tests have been administered to Immigration Removal Centre staff in the last 60 days.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 5th November 2020

The Government takes the welfare of staff and detained individuals in its care very seriously. Earlier this year, the High Court ruled that our approach to detention and COVID-19 was sensible, with the appropriate precautionary measures in place. Guidance regarding the principles for managing the detention estate during the COVID-19 pandemic is published on GOV.UK and can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/921491/detention-and-escorting-services-guidance-during-covid-19_v3.0.pdf

Further preventative measures in place include full ‘reverse cohorting’ staffed by dedicated teams, single occupancy rooms and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Additionally, in response to an increasing rate of infection in the community, as of 21 October, all staff and visitors to IRCs and Short-Term Holding Facilities are required to wear a face mask at all times when in the main centre(s).

For the week commencing 26 October, management information shows that there were 45 individuals detained in an IRC who were considered to be at heightened risk from COVID-19 and had been offered protective isolation (shielding) measures. Individuals can decline the offer of protective isolation measures and change their minds at any subsequent point. The protective isolation or shielding of those detained under immigration powers in prisons is managed by the Ministry of Justice.

All immigration removal centres have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses which are managed by the NHS or appropriate providers. As per the guidance published by Public Health England, any individual with symptoms of COVID-19 will be placed in protective isolation for 7 days. Those individuals who are severely unwell will be transferred to appropriate healthcare facilities with usual escorts and following advice on safe transfers. Appropriate PPE equipment is available to contractor and healthcare staff when interacting with detained individuals being held in isolation.

Since Thursday 3 September to date, management information indicates that 35 individuals in detention have been tested for COVID-19 due to their circumstances (such as being symptomatic). In the same time period, there has been one confirmed case of COVID-19 in an individual who was detained in a Residential Short-Term Holding Facility. The individual was in medical isolation and did not require hospital treatment.

As of 2 November, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in detained individuals in the immigration detention estate. There have been no deaths in immigration removal centres or short-term holding facilities as a result of COVID-19.

Numbers of staff being tested for COVID-19 is recorded on a weekly basis. Since the week commencing 30 August, 152 members of staff working in the immigration detention estate (supplier staff and healthcare providers) have been tested for COVID-19. Since 3 September, there have been a total of 17 positive COVID-19 tests of Home Office and supplier staff (including healthcare providers) working in the immigration detention estate.

To supplement the preventative measures already in place, the Home Office have begun a program of voluntary COVID-19 testing on induction for individuals arriving at an IRC. Induction testing began at the Heathrow and Gatwick estates from 26 October (those tested on induction are not included in the figures provided above). The induction testing program will be rolled out to other centres in coming weeks.

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