Head of the Prison Officers Association, Cerron Richards, said his officers are very concerned, in light of the fact that the Maximum Security prison at Arouca has been placed on lockdown, as 19 inmates have contracted Covid.
Speaking to Power 102fm this morning, Richards said the officers are very limited in some of the things that they can do.
He said the inmates would have been removed to a quarantine facility at Claxton Bay, but the entire situation has shown the many challenges that they continue to bear with.
Richards said the Commissioner of Prions is trying his best to treat with the situation, as best as he can in terms of separating those persons from the prison population and providing the necessary PPE and equipment needed to try to contain the disease.
But, Richards said “We always knew that the prison environment would pose a challenge where Covid-19 was concerned, in that the environment is a cramped one and there has not been any developing of the prisons over the years – it is under-developed and under-funded, so when a disease like Covid reared its ugly head, it brought all those challenges into the air.”
He said the Association will continue to liaise with the Commissioner of Prisons, as to determine what should be done to contain the disease at that prison.
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