31 cases of Covid confirmed in Portlaoise Prison in March

Portlaoise Prison had 31 confirmed Covid cases this month, according to the Irish Prison Service.

An IPS spokesman said the nearby Midlands Prison has not had any cases during the same time. The prison service is now facing “an unprecedented challenge” to keep infection out given the levels of Covid in the wider community, he said. 

“The Irish Prison Service can confirm since the beginning of March, 31 prisoners in Portlaoise Prison have tested positive for Covid-19,” he stated. In mid March this year, Portlaoise Prison had 218 prisoners and the Midlands Prison held 856. 

“Given the current level of prevalence of the virus in the community the Irish Prison Service now faces an unprecedented challenge in continuing to keep prisoners safe from infection,” the spokesman said. 

However, the prison service is hopeful that measures they have introduced will help tackle Covid rates in prisons.   

New prisoners arriving at the facilities are being kept in isolation for five days and tested on day one and day five, before joining the general prison population. A contact tracing system is also in place to try and prevent full prison lockdowns. 

The spokesman said: “The Irish Prison Service has managed a number of Covid-19 outbreaks in prisons since November 2021 which has resulted in a significant number of prisoners and staff testing positive for the virus.”  Since that time the many prisoners have also availed of vaccine, he explained.  

He explained that a Covid Contingency Plan was introduced during initial outbreaks. This plan was reviewed and new procedures were implemented to manage outbreaks and eliminate the need for widespread restrictions and mass testing. 

It is hoped these measures will prevent the lockdown of landings or entire prisons despite the rise in Covid cases nationally. 

A total of 1,124, over a quarter of all the prisoners in Ireland, have tested positive for Covid since the beginning of the pandemic.