Coping strategies for COVID-19 in prisons: a report on experience

Abstract

Objective:

to report the experience of implementing preventive measures against COVID-19 in a prison unit.

Method:

report on experience based on institutional documents and on a prison health team’s experience carried out from March to June 2020.

Results:

a broad spectrum of preventive measures were implemented for preventing and reducing the occurrence of infection and serious COVID-19 outbreaks in the penitentiary: screening procedures and care flows for new inmates who arrive and for those already in the unit who had symptoms; rules, prevention guidelines and conduct recommendations for visitors and other persons who were authorized to enter the prison unit; attention to the prison workers who had symptoms; organization of information cycles aimed at the workers; use of communication channels with prisoners’ representatives; implementation of general sanitary measures in the prison unit; convincing inmates to be vaccinated against influenza.

Discussion:

considering the precarious conditions that favor COVID-19 dissemination in prisons, the experience attested the importance of implementing both measures to prevent contamination and transmission of COVID-19 in prisons, as well as educational and normative actions aimed at this segment of the population.

Keywords:
prisons; coronavirus infections; primary prevention; prisoners; occupational health