A prison officer in Northern Ireland has died after contracting Covid-19.

The man, who has not been named, is the first prison officer in Northern Ireland to have died after contracting the virus.

Writing to prison staff on Friday morning, Ronnie Armour, director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, said: “It was with a deep sense of sadness that I learned last night of the passing of one of our colleagues, after a short battle with Covid-19.

“He cared deeply about the service and he worked tirelessly over the years to make things better and safer.”

More than 1,300 people work for the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

The prison chief continued: “On behalf of the service I want to express our heartfelt sympathies to his family circle and to those colleagues who worked alongside him.

“Our service is the poorer for his passing and the circumstances of his death make our loss all the more painful. He will be long remembered.”

UUP deputy leader Robbie Butler revealed on Thursday the man who had died had been a former prison service colleague.

In a Twitter tribute, he said he had been “absolutely gutted” to learn of the news, revealing the pair had last been in touch last month.

"Thoughts and prayers with his family and colleagues. Just reading his last few texts to me in July and his unrelenting commitment to the service and colleagues.”

DUP North Antrim MLA, Mervyn Storey, who also chairs the Assembly’s justice committee, said the officer’s death is a “stark reminder that Covid-19 is still amongst us and is still taking life”.

“We are very mindful of a family who are grieving today and work colleagues who mourn the passing of a friend. We will be remembering all those who mourn in our prayers,” he said.

“I was speaking with Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service and expressed our sadness but also commended him and his staff on how the pandemic has been managed within our prisons.

“Another death also reminds us of the importance of taking all precautions to stem the spread of Covid-19. To that end, I encourage everyone, of all ages, to take up the offer of a vaccination.

“Ultimately this will help us return to normality as a society and relieve pressure on our hospital front line.”

There have only been four confirmed cases of Covid-19 among the general prison population in Northern Ireland so far.