Coronavirus: Temporary hospital set up inside Sydney’s Silverwater jail for infected prisoners

As authorities prepare for a possible coronavirus outbreak among inmates, a 33-bed field hospital is being built inside a Sydney prison.

Silverwater jail in Sydney's west. Picture: AAP

A 33-bed temporary field hospital is being built inside a Sydney prison as authorities prepare for a possible coronavirus outbreak among inmates.

The infirmary at the Silver­water Complex in Sydney’s west is being prepared so that inmates will not have to be moved to public hospitals if they show symptoms of the virus. “The safety of our staff and inmates is our No 1 priority,” a Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman said. “Early work has begun on the creation of a 33-bed temporary field hospital at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater, to manage inmates who become acutely unwell due to COVID-19.”

The makeshift hospital was being set up in an area normally used for sorting inmate laundry, which will be relocated to a newly constructed building within the complex. At this stage, the hospital is not required but the spokeswoman said the measure was being taken to “ensure we are prepared for all scenarios”.

“It is also better to treat very unwell inmates within a correctional facility rather than in a public hospital where security protocols will be complex,” she said.

While there have been no confirmed COVID-19 cases among inmates at the maximum and minimum-security prison for men and women, all visits to the correctional facility have been suspended since the middle of March.

The spokeswoman said Corrective Services NSW would continue to work with Justice Health and the Forensic Mental Health Network to consider if hospitals in other prisons were required.