Prisons officer on sick leave tests positive for covid19

ACTING Prisons Commissioner Dennis Pulchan on Saturday ordered the immediate evacuation and closure of the Prisons Administration Building on Phillips Street, Port of Spain after an officer tested positive for covid19.

A post on the Prison Services’ Facebook page said contact tracing  for the officer has begun . The building will remain closed until it is sanitised and staff have been told to stay home until further notice.

The prisons officer, who was on extended sick leave before contracting the virus, visited the building recently to update his superiors.

Pulchan is urging that any officer with flu-like symptoms should not report for duty, but inform their immediate supervisor and seek medical attention.

To quell fear that the virus may have spread to the prisons, Pulchan said: “To date, the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service has maintained a covid19 free environment as a stringent policy was prepared and adopted from the onset of the pandemic. It will continue to adhere to these measures to keep all persons safe and secure.”

On Saturday morning, there were four new positive cases in the country, taking the total to 173.