Coronavirus: Call for inmates to be released after Covid-19 outbreak in Eastern Cape prisons By Estelle Ellis
By Tuesday 14 April prisons accounted for 79 cases out of 174 in the coronavirus outbreak in the Eastern Cape – but the Department of Correctional Services said they were confident that they would “sail through” the outbreak if all the right protocols are implemented.
He confirmed that the number of inmates testing positive for Covid-19 at the East London correctional centre had increased by 49 cases in a day. Nxumalo said Correctional Services had screened 519 inmates at the St Albans prison remand centre on Tuesday and tested one. Nxumalo said the department had activated the containment and treatment protocol looking at the rapid identification of laboratory-confirmed cases and the isolation of those who test positive to manage the pandemic.
“However, it must be acknowledged that, as the virus continues to spread in communities, correctional centres within the same localities will remain vulnerable. Officials attending gatherings and movements from their residences to places of work are receiving attention, in addition to screening. The first recorded case relating to the prison outbreak was a female correctional officer who attended a funeral in Port St Johns. Provincial health spokesperson Siyanda Manana said two large funerals, one in Port Elizabeth and one in Port St Johns are thought to be the sources of the outbreak in the Eastern Cape. Thirty of the official’s close contacts were asked to self-quarantine.
“Once the state deprives a person of their liberty, it is obliged to provide a duty of care. According to theon minimum standards in prisons, prisoners should enjoy the same standards of healthcare available in the community, and should have access to necessary healthcare services free of charge without discrimination on the grounds of their legal status,” Wasserman said.
“Therefore, if government is going to continue with this prison visit moratorium for the duration of the outbreak, it needs to ensure that incarcerated persons’ means of contacting the outside world are increased and more accessible . However, it is recommended that government take even more proactive steps to curb the spread of the disease by decreasing the number of people in prisons.
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