The The first case of coronavirus in the Greek Police is a fact and was enough to sound the alarm as he was spotted on a female police officer serving at the Amygdaleza detention center. Her colleagues who came in contact with her have already been quarantined, however, this incident brought to the surface the special plan prepared by the Greek state for prisons (and therefore detention centers) with the hope that there will always be no need to implemented.
Small or large communities all have their share of fear. States shall take appropriate measures to prevent its spread as far as possible Covid-19However, it is still difficult to avoid cases and the spread of the virus.
One of the communities, however, that no matter what measures are taken is in a more vulnerable position than all the others is that of prisons.
One easily realizes that by its very nature a prison can easily become a hotbed of dispersal. coronavirus. And before anyone rushes to answer that it is a permanent quarantine environment, it would be good to consider that many detainees receive permits, there are daily visits, and there are staff who return home when their shift is over.
What is happening in neighboring Italy in recent days with the successive uprisings and the deaths during violent incidents, shows in the clearest way that prisons and coronavirus can easily create an explosive cocktail, the consequences of which can easily affect the whole society.
The situation in Italian prisons is explosive due to the coronavirus
Italy has been in quarantine for some 24 hours. Tens of thousands dead and cases of coronavirus. The neighboring country lives one of the darkest pages of its long history.
Added to this whole scene of terror was the explosive situation created in the prisons due to the measures taken to curb the coronavirus.
Large-scale uprisings have already been recorded in various of its penitentiaries Italy resulting in at least 12 people having lost their lives so far.
Nine detainees died in Modena prison. Three others in a prison in Rieti, on the northeastern outskirts of Rome. Most of the deaths appear to be due to drug overdoses stolen by inmates from looted clinics.
It all started when the Italian authorities announced that the visits of the relatives of the detainees were suspended as part of the measures to limit the spread of the new coronavirus epidemic, the prison staff union and a non-governmental organization announced.
In Modena the uprising was particularly violent. At the Torre del Gallo prison in Pavia, detainees managed to hold two prison officials hostage and release dozens of other prisoners, according to Italian media.
At the same time, fifty detainees escaped from a prison in Foggia and so far about half have been located and arrested. The others are still wanted by the Italian police.
For those who knew the situation, the specific uprisings were something that was more or less expected. The reason is simple. Italian prisons face the chronic problem of overcrowding. At prisons 61.250 prisoners are serving their sentences, about 10.000 more than they can accommodate. This seems to have been the decisive factor for the Italian government to take restraining measures as overpopulation could make detainees and staff more vulnerable to infection than humans. Covid-19.
What does the Greek plan for prisons provide in case of cases Covid-19
In order to prevent similar situations but above all to prevent the spread of the virus from penitentiaries to society, Greek authorities have already drawn up a plan to deal with coronavirus cases in Greek prisons.
The protocol of actions even provides for quarantine for those prisoners who show up symptoms, while strict instructions are given to the staff for strict application of the hygiene rules, which even include disinfection of the handcuffs.
In collaboration with infectious disease specialists and other scientists, the General Secretariat for Anti-Crime Policy of the ministry Citizen Protection, responsible for prisons, drafted the plan for the prevention and management of possible coronavirus cases.
The appearance of a single case, according to the plan revealed by the newspaper realnews, could cause its mass transmission to the prisons, as thousands of prisoners and prison guards are in the same places every day. If a detainee becomes suspicious, a simple surgical mask will be given, and a mask, gloves and apron should be worn by staff who come in contact with him at a distance of less than one meter. The detainee will be immediately transferred to the prison clinic for examination and sampling, while the EODY. It will then be transported to the isolation area, following, in fact, the shortest possible route. The manager of the penitentiary ensures that there is a special isolation area with adequate ventilation that will be cleaned and disinfected according to the instructions of EODY, as well as personal protective equipment.
Prison staff must record all persons who came in contact with the suspect case. The cell in which the suspected case is kept is immediately quarantined, together with those detained in it, until the test results are released. During this period, their courtyard is forbidden, of course. In case it is found that the sample is positive, the Referral Service of Attica Courts will be informed about the transfer of the patient to specific centers. When the transfer is completed, the vehicle will be disinfected as well as the handcuffs worn by the detainee.
Police officers are strictly forbidden to catch without wearing gloves. In order for the transfer to take place immediately, the prison council will make an urgent request for reasons of public security to the Secretary General of Anti-Crime Policy and Chairman of the Central Transfer Committee, Sofia Nikolaou, while the transfer and re-transfer actions will be notified to the detainee .