Detention Centres: Coronavirus

(asked on 11th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential level of risk of continuing to operate immigration removal centres during the covid-19 outbreak, particularly in light of new strains of that virus; and if she will make a statement.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 19th January 2021

The safety and health of people in the detention estate is of the utmost importance. The Home Office has robust contingency plans in place and continues to follow national guidance issued by Public Health England (PHE), Health Protection Scotland and the National Health Service (NHS).

All immigration removal centres (IRCs) have communicable disease contingency plans, based on PHE advice, and dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses which are managed by the NHS or appropriate providers. Detained individuals arriving at IRCs are medically assessed by a nurse within two hours of their arrival, are offered an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours and have access to medical assistance throughout their detention. In addition, we are in the process of rolling out COVID 19 testing on reception in all IRCs.

Everyone entering an IRC spends a minimum of 14 days on a ‘reverse cohorting’ unit; this is dedicated accommodation designed to prevent an asymptomatic individual transmitting the virus to the wider centre population. Reverse cohorting is supported by further measures such as single occupancy rooms in all IRCs and the cessation of social visits. Protective shielding is available to those who are deemed medically high or very high risk. In addition, all staff and visitors to IRCs and short term holding facilities are required to wear a face mask, at all times, when undertaking direct contact duties with those detained and when in the main centre or holding facility.

The Home Office published statistics relating to COVID-19 and the immigration system on Gov.uk on 28 May, and the latest Immigration Statistics publication includes the numbers of individuals detained under immigration powers in prisons. Further information about the operational response to COVID-19 in immigration detention is available on Gov.uk and has been updated throughout the outbreak. This has been supplemented by the publication of guidance associated with COVID-19 and immigration detention on 30 November. We have no current plans to publish further data on COVID-19.

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