The COVID-19 outbreak at the Penetanguishene superjail seems to be showing no sign of slowing down.
“Our outbreak is ongoing,” said Richard Dionne, CNCC-369 local president at the Central North Correctional Centre.
“We are currently at over 50 positive inmates and about 50 staff.”
While Dionne said the number of employees who have either tested positive or are away due to close contact has ballooned since the outbreak was declared in mid-January, the number of inmates with COVID-19 appears to be dropping from a high of 120 positive cases just a couple of weeks ago.
The superjail has an inmate capacity of 1,184 while employing about 250 full-time correctional officers along with more than 100 “fixed term” (part-time) jail guards.
While Dionne said that all current PPE protocols continue to be followed, he earlier noted that the Ministry of the Solicitor General moved a number of inmates from North Bay Jail, which was struggling to control its own outbreak.
Dionne said there are definitely concerns around staffing since these kinds of situations can increase workload and frustration for staff while also increasing tension for inmates, which makes for a very difficult work environment for his members.
Andrew Morrison, a spokesman with the Solicitor General’s office, earlier noted that each facility has its own pandemic plan in place prepared in consultation with local public health partners.
“Protecting the health and safety of correctional services staff and those in provincial custody is the ministry’s top priority,” Morrison said, pointing out the ministry has developed COVID protocols for provincial correctional facilities, in alignment with the Ministry of Health and public health partners.
“Any inmate that tests positive for COVID-19 is placed on droplet and contact precautions and isolated from the rest of the inmate population while they receive appropriate medical care,” he said, noting the ministry has its own supply of COVID-19 vaccines and makes the vaccine available to all eligible inmates on an ongoing basis.
