First case of Covid-19 among inmates of Cork prison identified before any close contacts 

Cork Prison confirmed its first case of Covid-19 today, but said the case was a new inmate, with symptoms, and the case was caught before the prisoner mixed with anyone else.

Speaking to The Echo, a spokesperson for Cork Prison said new procedures brought in since April, where new inmates are quarantined for 14 days before integrating with the prison population, have proven effective and there have been no outbreaks of the virus to date.

Each new prisoner is seen by a nurse on arrival, before being brought into the building. They are checked and have their temperature tested.

They are then in quarantine for 14 days, to prevent an outbreak of Covid-19.

While there have been no outbreaks of the virus among the inmate population in the prison system, six prison officers in Cork Prison have contracted the virus since March.

The Cork Prison spokesperson also said there is good communication and extensive information sharing between the courts, the guards and the prison service to ensure they are aware of any patient displaying symptoms before they reach the prison unit.

The spokesperson said, thanks to this system being in place, there were no close contacts in the prison that needed to self isolate following the positive Covid case.