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Coronavirus: Three Canberra jail prisoners isolated COVID-19 fears

Prisoners are in isolation with “flu-like” symptoms in Canberra’s only jail amid fears coronavirus could spread quickly among inmates.

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Three prisoners at Canberra’s notoriously overcrowded jail, the Alexander Maconochie Centre, are being kept in isolation amid fears coronavirus could spread like wildfire behind bars.

An ACT Justice and Correctional Services spokeswoman said three inmates were being kept in isolation because they had “flu-like symptoms” or because they had been in contact with someone with those symptoms.

As of Tuesday morning, there had not been any positive test results for COVID-19 at the prison, the spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman did not answer a direct question about whether inmates were being tested.

The Alexander Maconochie Centre at Hume, Canberra.
The Alexander Maconochie Centre at Hume, Canberra.

Last week, a group of lawyers and university academics released an open letter to Australian prison authorities demanding more action be taken to prevent the spread of the disease in jail.

“We know that COVID-19 spreads quickly in closed spaces and prisons are commonly epicentres for infectious diseases,” the letter said.

“It is only a matter of time before COVID-19 breaks out in our prisons and youth detention centres.

“People are continually churning in and out of prisons, and being released in and out of communities.”

The mens’ section of the Alexander Maconochie Centre typically has about 50 more inmates than it was designed for, according to a 2019 report.

The development follows Justice John Burns on Monday granting bail to alleged standover merchant Sharon Ann Stott, 57, because the ban on visitors meant she would not be able to see her children.

The ACT on Tuesday recorded seven new cases of coronavirus, with a total of 39 cases now confirmed in the national capital.

All seven new cases are linked to recent overseas travel.

Three of the 39 infected patients are being treated in hospital, while the rest are at home under orders to self-isolate.

As of lunchtime on Tuesday, 2870 people had tested negative for the virus.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/canberra-star/coronavirus-three-prisoners-being-isolated-in-canberras-overcrowded-jail-amid-fears-of-covid19-outbreak-in-prisons/news-story/67c8df3ca395ba77a4e9e55e489a90d0