Kirsty Mckenzie
TWO wings in a Spanish prison have gone into lockdown with dozens of inmates isolating due to a major coronavirus outbreak.
There are currently 31 confirmed cases of the virus at Malaga II prison in Archidona.
Prison authorities said that while the number of cases has jumped, the virus is ‘controlled’ and that most of the cases amongst inmates are mild or asymptomatic cases.
As a precautionary measure, all of the inmates in wings 1 and 4 of the nick are currently isolating but no mass testing is being carried out.
Prisoners in lockdown typically do not have access to court or solicitor visits, family visits, or use of the gym but according to a statement from the prison officers’ union, the CCOO, there are concerns that the lockdown restrictions at the Malaga prison have not gone far enough.
The union said that while wings 1 and 4 have now been locked down ‘there is great concern among the workforce about the size of the outbreak’.
In a statement, the CCOO said: “It is not ruled out that this figure will increase, due to the degree of mobility within the prison that the affected persons have.
“No detection tests have been carried out on them, so the real repercussions of the outbreak among the prison staff is unknown.
“The fact that an outbreak of this size occurs in a facility where the majority of the prison population and staff are vaccinated, is indicative that something is not being done properly to prevent Covid from returning to prisons.
“Special prevention measures should be maintained, such as periodic testing of prisoners and staff.”
“The fact that an outbreak of this size occurs in a facility where the majority of the prison population and staff are vaccinated, is indicative that something is not being done properly to prevent Covid from returning to prisons.
It is the latest outbreak at Malaga nick after it struggled to cope with the disease when it was at its peak in 2020.
Prison authorities have confirmed there has been a coronavirus outbreak but say ‘it is under control’.
They said: “The vast majority of them have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic as they are vaccinated.
“It was immediately brought to the attention of the Junta de Andalucia health authorities and we operate under their criteria, both to carry out testing and by following their protocols.”
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