Covid lockdown in Melbourne’s Metropolitan Remand Centre

The highly infectious Delta strain has been detected in a second Melbourne prison, with an inmate testing postive to Covid at Melbourne Assessment Prison.

A second Melbourne prison has been hit with Covid-19.

A prisoner in quarantine at Melbourne Assessment Prison tested positive to coronavirus on Thursday.

It’s the maximum-security prison’s first case since the Delta strain arrived in Victoria.

“The prisoner will continue to be monitored, assessed and provided with health care and a range of supports,” a Department of Justice and Community Safety spokeswoman said.

There are a total of six positive cases across the system’s prison system.

Meanwhile, infection fears are growing at the Metropolitan Remand Centre, where more prisoners have tested positive to COVID-19.

Three prisoners in quarantine returned positive coronavirus results on Tuesday, taking the prison’s coronavirus cluster to five.

The first case was recorded on Sunday, followed by a second on Monday.

A number of staff members have been identified as primary close contacts and will be furloughed until they return a negative result.

The cases are the first to hit Victoria’s prison system since the highly infectious Delta strain entered the state.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety said there are no confirmed cases in the general prison population.

“All three prisoners have been managed under quarantine arrangements since their arrival into custody, and have now been moved to the isolation unit, as per standard procedure for confirmed positive cases,” a spokeswoman said.

About 750 MRC prisoners remain in lockdown as authorities work to identify other close contacts.

The prison is expected to remain in lockdown until cases are dealt with and all known contacts are tested and cleared.

Limited activities, including virtual court hearings, will be allowed to continue.

A prison source told the Herald Sun it was only a matter of time before the virus spread back into the system.

The insider said allowing prisoners to enter the system without first testing negative to Covid-19 is risky and should be reviewed.

“There has to be a better protocol put in place for prisoners who get remanded straight from police to the remand prisoners in the way of sending prisoners who are Covid-19 positive,” the source said.

All new prisoners are tested and required to spend 14 days in protective quarantine regardless of the Covid-19 risks.

Protective quarantine has been used in prisons since the start of the pandemic to protect wider prison populations from coronavirus outbreaks.

About 45 per cent of prisoners across Victoria are fully vaccinated, while 64 per cent have received their first jab.

Three-quarters of Victorian prison staff have received their first vaccine and 54 per cent are fully vaccinated.