Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prisoners newly admitted from courts have been tested for covid-19 before arrival at prison, since 4 March 2020.
Although there is some testing conducted on symptomatic prisoners, COVID-19 testing is not as yet a routine part of the prison reception process. New cohorting strategies have been developed however, and as a result prisons are implementing units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals for a period of 14 days to reduce risk of transmission.
All new receptions into prison are screened for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 by healthcare professionals.