Prisoners: Coronavirus

(asked on 1st May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2020 to Question 38475 on Prison Accommodation: Wales, how many prisoners with symptoms have been isolated; how many vulnerable prisoners have been shielded; and how many new arrivals have been quarantined for 14 days.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 7th May 2020

The Prison Service has implemented a three-pronged approach to contain the spread of COVID-19 within jails, known as ‘compartmentalisation’, with an order issued by HMPPS on 31 March. Through this approach, staff have isolated those with symptoms, and many prisons have been able to shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals for 14 days. Creation of these units required time and head room and were implemented at a differential pace across individual prisons, but prioritisation was given to isolating those with symptoms and shield those assessed as vulnerable. Separating those with symptoms has been taking place since early February.

As at 4 May, prisons in Wales reported 359 cases of prisoners with symptoms in isolation, and 141 cases of vulnerable prisoners shielding. Local reporting began on 10 March.

59 prisoners that have been newly received by prisons in Wales have been quarantined since central data began being collected on 20 April.

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