Prisons and custodial settings are part of a comprehensive response to COVID-19
Stuart A. Kinner, Jesse T Young, Kathryn Snow, Louise Southalan, Daniel López-Acuña, Carina Ferreira‐Borges, Éamonn O’Moore
Abstract
Prisons are epicentres for infectious diseases because of the higher background prevalence of infection, the higher levels of risk factors for infection, the unavoidable close contact in often overcrowded, poorly ventilated, and unsanitary facilities, and the poor access to healthcare services relative to that in community settings.1 Infections can be transmitted between prisoners, staff and visitors, between prisons through transfers and staff cross-deployment, and to and from the community. As such, prisons and other custodial settings are an integral part of the public health response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).