The Beauvais prison center has been officially considered a Covid-19 cluster by the Hauts-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS), since Friday afternoon.
One building has been completely insulated.
“This represents around 150 to 200 detainees,” said a staff representative.
In a second building, a full floor was placed in solitary confinement, which represents around fifty additional detainees.
It was following a screening operation of the general population, which took place last week and which revealed 25 positives among the prisoners, that these measures were taken.
According to our information, there has been no hospitalization to date, due to Covid-19.
A new screening campaign should take place, including employees.
Visits and prohibited activities
This isolation obviously has serious consequences on the daily life of the occupants of the prison.
"The detainees concerned by this isolation do not have the right to visits, but they are also deprived of a walk and all ancillary activities such as sport or access to the library", indicates a supervisor, who underlines "the risk of tensions created by this situation ”.
"When you lock in detainees 24 hours a day, it can go up," he continues. We had an assault on Monday, an inmate threw the contents of a trash can on guards before physically attacking them. And even if there was not necessarily a direct link with the cluster, this incident shows that the climate is already tense. "
The situation is also complicated for the staff.
"There is some apprehension," says a staff representative.
Obviously, when working in an establishment classified as a cluster, one can fear catching the Covid, even if the wearing of a mask is compulsory for inmates and the employees have received specific equipment (ffp2 masks and suits), to intervene in isolated buildings.
This classification of the penitentiary center should last at least until Friday.
