Approximately 120 prisoners at the Lusignan Prison have tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to Minister of Health (MoH) Dr. Frank Anthony.
During a COVID-19 update, Anthony stated that since two prisoners tested positive for the disease about a week ago, the ministry has been working with the prison authorities to put measures in place to stop the spread of the virus in the facility.
“Unfortunately that specific area where those prisoners were in was overcrowded and therefore it was a challenge to put all of the mitigating measures in place,” he said.
He added that some prisoners subsequently complained of having some symptoms typical of COVID-19 and the prison informed the Ministry of Health. “…We were able to deploy a team late last week and we went in and were able to screen a number of persons and we actually did take samples from over 200 persons who were in the prison and 120 of those persons tested positive,” he explained.
He noted that they have since placed those persons in isolation so that they cannot come into contact with other persons. He said that medical personnel are going to observe the prisoners who tested positive to see if they develop any other signs or symptoms of the disease.
“Once they have passed the ten days, they will be discharged. If any of them develop any symptoms, depending on what they develop, we are going to treat accordingly. As of now, all those persons who tested positive have been isolated and under medical supervision during this point and time,” he concluded.
One week ago, Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels disclosed that two prisoners tested positive for COVID-19.
During the past weekend, two prisoners were fatally shot by guards and five others were wounded after what authorities have described as a riot and attempted breakout at the prison. The shooting capped off hours of protests by inmates over a number of issues, including overcrowding at the facility and the risk of exposure to COVID-19, which were raised earlier in the day when the Home Affairs and Health ministers visited. Overcrowding at the facility has been a longstanding concern and in July Samuels had announced the release of around 350 inmates who had nearly completed their sentences as part of an effort to address the issue of overcrowding in the facilities.
In late March, weeks after Guyana recorded its first COVID-19 case, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) had called for measures to be taken to reduce overcrowding in prisons given the potential risks posed by COVID-19 to prison staff and inmates, whom it described as the most exposed category of persons in the country.
In particular, it singled out the Lusignan Prison, saying that it was never intended to be a prison and constituted an ideal incubator of COVID-19.
