At least 11 staff at Midlands prison test positive for Covid-19
Midlands prison, where 5 inmates have tested positive for Covid-19.
At least 11 prison staff at the Midlands Prison have tested positive for Covid-19, along with five inmates, it has emerged.
It is understood that the number of confirmed cases among staff at the jail may increase as not all test results are back yet.
Prison authorities conducted a mass testing of all prisoners and staff at the prison after the outbreak of five inmates was confirmed.
The mass test will be repeated this Thursday, following consultation with the HSE, a week on from the first test day, last Friday.
The five positive results among prisoners in the Midlands are the first cases in the general prisoner population.
There have been six previous cases among prisoners, but these were contracted in the community and known before the individuals were committed from the courts to prison. The most recent case was last Tuesday week in Limerick Prison.
According to Irish Prison Service (IPS) rules, these individuals are placed in quarantine for 14 days before being put into the general prisoner population.
The understands that there are 126 prisoners currently in quarantine, who are either displaying possible Covid-19 symptoms and awaiting test results or are positive on committal.
While the IPS has figures for staff tested in the specific mass testing in Midlands, it does not keep figures for officers across the system who are either positive or out with suspected symptoms.
In Cork Prison, it is understood that ten prison officers are on Covid-19 leave, either because they have suspected symptoms, are close contacts of a confirmed case or are a confirmed case themselves.
It is thought that at least one officer is Covid-19 positive.
It is further understood that around 20 prisoners in Cork are in quarantine awaiting results on tests.
IPS authorities decided to carry out a mass test at Midlands after health care staff became aware of five inmates on the A2 landing displaying symptoms of Covid-19.
They were placed in quarantine and tested.
A decision was then made to test all staff and all 810 inmates in the closed prison, which was conducted last Friday.
No additional prisoners, on top of the five already confirmed, tested positive, but 11 staff did and more results are due back soon.
A further decision has been made to repeat the tests this Thursday to pick up cases that didn’t show the first time around.
Contact tracing is being carried out on the prisoners and staff who tested positive.
Since all the five inmates have been on the landing since before March, authorities suspect it came in through one of the staff, but this has yet to be checked out.
