Prisoners praised as less than 2pc have had Covid

JUST 67 prisoners in Irish jails have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to official figures.

The achievement of the Irish Prison Service in preventing the spread of coronavirus is in stark contrast to countries like the US and Britain where jails have proved pandemic hotspots.

The measures taken across Irish jails have ensured there has not been a single death or a case of a prisoner requiring hospital treatment since last March.

The Irish figures equate to just one in 56 prisoners out of the prison population of 3,791, or less than 2pc, testing positive for Covid-19 during the pandemic.

This is only a fraction of the cases recorded in the US and the UK.

One in eight prisoners in England and Wales has tested positive for Covid-19 since the pandemic began.

In the US, it is estimated that 377,497 inmates had tested positive until the end of the first week in February as it raged through jails across the country.

The figures recorded by the Marshall Project — a non-profit journalism group about criminal justice — estimate at least 2,400 prisoners have died of coronavirus-related causes in the US, which has the largest incarcerated population in the world.

Caron McCaffrey, director general of the Irish Prison Service, said the country’s jails have been operating in extraordinary times.

“I am deeply proud of all of our staff who have shown great dedication and professionalism in responding to the challenges we have faced. I would like to also acknowledge the important role played by the Prison Officers Association,” she said.

Of the 67 cases that occurred, 27 were prison-based transmissions and 40 were community transmissions from prisoners who came into the system.

Ms McCaffrey said the prison population, too, has played a key role in containing the spread.

“Without their understanding, support and adherence to infection control measures we could not have introduced the necessary actions,” she said.

Prisoners who were Red Cross volunteers conveyed the messages of handwashing and mask-wearing throughout their peers in prisons during the pandemic.

Basic health checks such as temperature checking were introduced for everybody entering the prisons, including staff, from last March 29.

All family visits were replaced by the introduction of video visits while all newly committed prisoners were quarantined for 14 days.

Vulnerable prisoners including those aged over 70 have been cocooned, and there was also a robust contract tracing model.