Remand in Custody: Coronavirus

(asked on 14th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there have been any identified cases of covid-19 transmission as a result of remanded defendants being taken to court and supervised in court custody.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 19th January 2021

The safety of our staff and those under our supervision remains our top priority, and we have taken quick and decisive action – backed by Public Health England and Wales – to limit the spread of the virus. Regular testing of prisoners and staff continues to be conducted, along with the use of Reverse Cohorting Units to limit possible spread from new arrivals.

It is not standard practice for Prisoner Escort and Custody Service (PECS) to transfer prisoners from prison to court who are either symptomatic or confirmed positive with COVID-19, or are required to isolate as an identified contact of a person with COVID-19. This is in line with HMCTS guidance that anyone who is either suspected of having Covid-19, or a confirmed case, should not attend court. A robust process has been adopted with guidance circulated within both HMPPS and HMCTS.

All defendants who are produced from custody are assessed by a healthcare professional as fit for travel. However asymptomatic prisoners participate in various testing programmes for

COVID-19, including upon initial reception, and therefore there will be limited occasions where prisoners having arrived at court receive a positive test result.

Any member of staff, visitor or defendant with a positive COVID-19 test will declare close contacts and, in such circumstances, should begin contact tracing so relevant parties can be informed.

There are no known occasions in which COVID-19 has been transmitted by this route.

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