Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds is now free of the COVID-19 infection.
Official statistics from the COVID Communications Unit earlier this week listed the number of infections at 363 with 361 recoveries and two people in isolation.
However, Minister of Home Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams, said that the last two people recovered and were removed from isolation.
“I am pleased to report that as of yesterday and today there are no active cases among the staff and the prison population. This potentially disastrous situation was managed and brought under control through rigid adherence after protocols set for its control and through constant communication between all those concerned. This included in the large measure, inmates at the prison population,” said Abrahams during a virtual press conference on Saturday.
During the height of the outbreak, many of the officers were affected and Government had to rely on emergency use of the Barbados Defence Force and the police. Abrahams said that prison functions have returned to pre-COVID-19 levels
The minister further explained that all of the virtual services, remands, prisoner rehabilitation and maintenance programmes have all resumed, officially ending the “no one in or out policy”, which was in place at the facility for the last three months.
“I have been assured that the situation at the prison is now back took pre-crisis arrangements, with virtual court now in operation, both for high court and magistrate’s court. The virtual visits have also resumed and so too has the inmate telephone system with family and friends,” he said.
“The work routines, which include the auto mechanic shop, the tailor shop, the farm and sanitisation of the housing units as well as our maintenance upkeep of our landscaping, have all been re-established. Dodds is once again accepting remand prisoners from the courts and the temporary designated prison facility at St Ann’s Fort would be formerly stood down,” he said. (CLM)
