CoVID-19 outbreaks in Federal Prisons in Canada have been declared finalized and visitors are preparing for a “new normal” that may be in place for years to come.
In March, the Correctional Service of Canada implemented several physical removal measures, adding the mask offering to prisoners. Additional non-public protective devices such as gloves, gowns and face masks were also provided.
Prisons have banned public visits.
Despite precautions, the new coronavirus has spread.
“Of our 43 facilities, we have had five outbreaks since the start of the pandemic, and they are all finished,” said Marie Pier Lecuyer, spokeswoman for canada’s Correctional Service.
“However, we continue to monitor the scenario and diligently implement our protective measures and fitness protocols.”
A total of 360 inmates in Canada tested positive for COVID-19 and two of them died. The most affected facility was the Federal Multilevel Training Center in Laval, Quebec, which reported 161 cases and one death. An inmate remains in the hospital.
At Mission Medium Mission Institution in British Columbia, 120 inmates tested positive. One of them died.
On Friday, the Correctional Service of Canada did not list any active cases of inmates, but said there were five tests pending.
As of 5 August, Lecuyer reported that 142 workers in the establishments had tested positive for COVID-19 and 139 recovered.
About one-third of inmates in Canada are housed in federal establishments and the rest in provincial prisons, where those sentenced to two years less a day are combined with those awaiting trial.
An official with the Canadian Correctional Officers Union said things are slowly returning to prisons, but that it will be a lengthy process.
“Officers wear masks that we can’t escape. Prisoners are given a mask to wear and they can’t distance themselves. We still have to start opening somehow, don’t we? You can’t leave everything closed forever.” James Bloomfield told The Canadian Press.
The Correctional Service of Canada initiated the procedure for authorizing visits to inmates throughout the country a month ago, with strict fitness measures.
Before being admitted, visitors must be examined and controlled their temperature. They should also wash their hands before entering, wear a mask, and practice physical distance. Visitor spaces are cleaned and disinfected before and after each visit.
“That’s what our new general is,” Bloomfield said.
“It’s going to be small and very different. We had never asked them before if they were outside the province if they were coming to visit us. We’ve never had their temperature taken in the door before,” he added.
Bloomfield said preventing public visits to federal establishments is mandatory but unpopular among inmates.
Visits are vital because they allow inmates to make contacts and establish contacts with their relatives, he said.
“Having to limit things like that is not taken at all,” Bloomfield said.
“This reminds the elderly in the houses for the elderly. Array… They’re locked away from other people and no one can.
This report through The Canadian Press was first published on August 8, 2020
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