September 20, 2021
Minister confident about prison Covid defence
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says the department’s systems picked up the fact a remanded prisoner had Covid-19.
The man didn’t have the disease when he was remanded on electronic bail to a home in Mangatangi on September 8, but a test after his court appearance last Friday came back positive.
Mr Davis says prisoners coming in to the system are kept isolated for 14 days, and staff and prisoners are required to wear personal protective equipment.
He says the vaccination rate is higher inside prisons than outside.
“Corrections officers, there are over 5000 who have been vaccinated on site and many officers have been vaccinated in the community so it is one of the the highest vaccinated workforces. We’re working through prisoner population, making sure prisoners have the information they need to make an informed decision. We can’t force people to have the vaccine but I think prisoners are more highly vaccinated than out in public,” Mr Davis says.