The safety, security, and health and wellbeing of Tasmania Prison Service (TPS) staff, prisoners and visitors is a high priority for the Government. Therefore, the TPS has beenactively implementing a range of measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To further strengthen these measures, from last Monday (27 April), all prisoners and remandees received into custody have been placed in mandatory isolation, separate from the rest of the prison population, for a period of 14 days. This is a precautionary approach to minimise the risk of COVID-19 in our prisons.
Previously, isolation was mandatory for anyone coming into custody from the North-West of the State, or where considered appropriate in response to COVID-19 screening questions.
The TPS has developed an isolation strategy that allows the appropriate housing of prisoners of all security classifications by using existing infrastructure.
It is recognised that physical isolation can have a negative impact on a prisoner’s health and wellbeing, and a range of measures have been put in place to monitor the health and wellbeing of prisoners.
Isolated prisoners will still be able to maintain contact with their families and social supports by mail and telephone, and in some cases also by virtual visits. They will also be offered a range of materials and equipment to keep them engaged and active.
Over the next week, the TPS will also install fixed non-contact temperature scanners at entry points to all TPS facilities to improve detection of persons who may be infected with COVID-19.
Once the devices are installed, anyone entering TPS facilities will be required to submit to a non-contact temperature scan before they are permitted entry. Anyone whose temperature exceeds 38 degrees Celsius will be denied entry and instructed to seek medical advice. Where a person has been denied entry, they will not be permitted to return to a TPS facility until they have received written clearance from a medical practitioner.
These initiatives complement a range of other steps the TPS has already taken to increase the safety of correctional staff, prisoners and the community, and reduce the likelihood of the transmission of COVID-19 between persons within TPS facilities.