Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus
(asked on 20th March 2020) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prisoners released from prison during the covid-19 outbreak are being tested for that disease before release.
This question was answered on 30th March 2020
Public health authorities decide whether to carry out tests on individual prisoners and there are no plans to test prisoners for COVID-19 before they are released from prison. This is in line with PHE guidance which states that requests for laboratory testing of individuals must meet the criteria for a possible case of COVID-19. We are working closely with PHE and will continue to follow their guidance.