impact of the covid-19 pandemic on prisons impact of the covid-19 pandemic on prisons the covid-19 pandemic has impacted prisons globally. there have been outbreaks of covid-19 reported in prisons and jails around the world, with the housing density and population turnover of many prisons contributing to an increased risk of contracting the virus compared to the general population. prison crowding and lack of sanitation measures contribute to the risk of contracting diseases in prisons and jails. as a mitigation measure, several jurisdictions have released prisoners to reduce density and attempt to reduce the spread of the illness. there have also been protests among prisoners, riots and prison breaks in multiple countries in response to prisoner anger over their risk of contracting illness in prison conditions. before the covid-19 pandemic, health services within prisons had issues providing adequate care for incarcerated people, and this has only been exacerbated by the impacts of covid-19. minority groups within the prison system have been disproportionately affected by the covid-19 pandemic. part of a series on thecovid-19 pandemicscientifically accurate atomic model of the external structure of sars-cov-2. each "ball" is an atom. covid-19 (disease) sars-cov-2 (virus) cases deaths timeline 2019 2020 january responses february responses march responses april responses may responses june responses july responses august responses september responses october responses november responses december responses 2021 january responses february responses march responses april responses may responses june responses july responses august responses september responses october responses november responses december responses 2022 january responses february responses march responses april responses may responses june responses july responses august responses september responses october responses november december 2023 january february march april may locations by country and 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social media strikes suicides telehealth xenophobia and racism society ireland malaysia new zealand russia uk us covid-19 portal hazard controls further information: workplace hazard controls for covid-19 according to the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention, prevention and management strategies should be implemented in correctional and detention facilities to reduce the burden of covid-19. some prevention strategies include symptom screening at entrances, avoiding overcrowding, staggering meal and recreation times, face coverings, signage, and training. facilities should develop info-sharing systems to manage confirmed and suspected cases, isolate those potentially infected, and offer flexible sick leave policies for staff members. afghanistan further information: covid-19 pandemic in afghanistan the afghan government released 10,000 prisoners on march 26, 2020. they were mostly women, young people, the critically ill, and inmates over 55 years of age. australia further information: covid-19 pandemic in australia on march 16, the australian government declared a public health emergency. it has also planned to cancel all visits to the alexander maconochie prison starting on march 23. act corrective services commissioner jon peach stated that as a result there would be "increased access to telephones" for prisoners to keep in touch with their families. bahrain in may 2021, bahrain reported a spike in its daily cases of covid-19 to approximately 3000. as of june 2021, bahrain has been reported to be experiencing a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, said to be 'its biggest wave of infections'. despite the uncontrolled spread of the virus, the bahraini government has kept political prisoners imprisoned in the allegedly overcrowded, notorious jau prison. sadeq abdali alasfoor, one of the prisoners was arrested in 2012 at the age of 20 and has since been inside the prison, subjected to torture and lack of medical care or healthy meals. belarus further information: covid-19 pandemic in belarus as prisons fill with 30,000 protesters following the 2020 belarusian presidential election, virus cases in prisons also increase. cells are overcrowded, lack ventilation, and lack basic amenities and medical treatment. guards are accused of deliberately allowing the virus to run lose for political reasons. authorities have not released the number of prisoners with covid-19, but rights activists say that thousands of protesters tested positive after they were detained. brazil further information: covid-19 pandemic in brazil hundreds of prisoners (who work outside the prison during the day) escaped from four prisons in são paulo state after visitors were restricted and easter furloughs were cancelled due to health concerns. china further information: covid-19 pandemic in mainland china the virus spread in at least four prisons in china. colombia further information: covid-19 pandemic in colombia on march 22, 23 prisoners were killed and 83 injured during a prison riot in la modelo in bogota, which erupted over fears over the spreading of covid-19 through prison walls. prisoners across the country have been protesting against the poor health services ever since the outbreak of covid-19. the government planned to release about 10,000 prisoners on the weekend of 4–5 april 2020. the release did not apply to individuals who have been convicted of sexual offenses against minors, corruption, or crimes against humanity. czech republic further information: covid-19 pandemic in the czech republic due to the coronavirus, on march 13, the czech government passed resolution no. 204/2020 coll which banned family members from visiting relatives in prisons and jails. defense attorneys are exempted from the bans. el salvador further information: covid-19 pandemic in el salvador following an outbreak of alleged gang violence in late april that killed 77 people, president nayib bukele imposed a lockdown on imprisoned gang members from 26 april. as part of the crackdown, gang members have been confined in crowded cells for 23 hours a day; cells were barricaded with plywood and metal sheets to block sunlight; mobile and wifi signals were blocked, and rival gang members were mixed together. human rights watch americas director josé miguel vivanco has condemned the treatment of prisoners as humiliating, degrading and a threat to health amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. ethiopia further information: covid-19 pandemic in ethiopia on march 25, 4,011 prisoners were granted a pardon by the ethiopian president sahle-work zewde in an effort to prevent the spread of covid-19. this pardon only applied to prisoners convicted of minor crimes who were serving sentences of up to three years, and those who were about to be released. france further information: covid-19 pandemic in france on march 16, a detainee died in the fresnes prison. on march 22, a mutiny erupted in the uzerche detention center, where 250 inmates had to be evacuated because their cells were unusable. iran further information: covid-19 pandemic in iran on march 3, more than 54,000 prisoners were released temporarily to prevent the spread of covid-19. prisoners rioted in southern iran on march 30. since the beginning of the year, riots have broken out in prisons in aligudarz, hamedan, and tabriz, with some prisoners escaping. on march 27, 70 inmates escaped saqqez prison in the kurdistan province. 100,000 prisoners have been released as a measure to contain the pandemic, but an estimated 50,000 people remain in prison, including violent offenders, dual nationals and others with western ties. ireland on 20 march, minister for justice charles flanagan announced the temporary release of up to 200 prisoners to reduce the risk of covid-19 spreading through the country's jails. prisoners were reported to be willing to work with prison officers to prevent their exposure to the virus. social distancing measures in prisons included visible marks, the closing of gyms and recreation halls, inmates being fed in smaller groups and visits from outside disallowed. deep cleaning occurred, the plates and mugs were replaced with hot food in single use cardboard containers. another consequence of the virus was that less drugs found their way into the system. on 10 june, it was announced that not a single prisoner among the country's prison population of 3,705 had tested positive for covid-19. on 22 august, a 23-year-old woman in dóchas centre became the first prisoner in ireland to test positive for covid-19. on 30 october, the irish prison service confirmed an outbreak of covid-19 at the midlands prison after five inmates tested positive for covid-19. italy further information: covid-19 pandemic in italy an investigation was opened after six convicts died in the sant'anna prison of modena from overdoses. other events that prompted the investigation included riots in san vittore prison and in the la dogaia prison in prato. eighty detainees escaped from foggia's prison amid the chaos in prisons sparked by the government's new restrictions due to the covid-19 pandemic. japan further information: covid-19 pandemic in japanthe ministry of justice (moj) decided that only lawyers are allowed to visit prisoners in prisons and detention houses in seven prefectures (tokyo, chiba, saitama, kanagawa, osaka, hyogo and fukuoka), which are issued emergency declaration initially, from april 8 to may 6. moj explained that the legal basis of the measure is the national property act (国有財産法, kokuyū zaisan hō). the act on penal detention facilities and the treatment of inmates and detainees (刑事収容施設及び被収容者等の処遇に関する法律, keiji shūyō-shisetsu oyobi hisyūyōsha-to no shogū ni kansuru hōristu) does not have provisions for visiting restriction purpose of not spreading infectious diseases, therefore some lawyers criticized this decision. on april 20, moj extended this measure to prisons and detention houses in six prefectures (hokkaido, ibaraki, ishikawa, gifu, aichi and kyoto), which are designated as special alert prefectures (特定警戒都道府県, tokutei keikai todōfuken) from april 20 to may 6. on april 27, immigration centers (入国者収容所), facility that accommodates foreigners have been pronounced deportation, are also subject of visiting restriction. the first case in japan's penal detention facilities was detected at osaka detention house. as of april 28, there were 8 officers of osaka detention house, 1 officer of tsukigata prison, and 1 defendant of tokyo detention house confirmed cases of covid-19. mexico further information: covid-19 pandemic in mexico a riot in a migrant detention center in tenosique, tabasco, mexico, left a guatemalan man dead and four people injured on march 31. the detainees were concerned about a possible covid-19 outbreak. mexico city began to sanitize its 13 penitentiaries and four detention centers on april 4. the number of visitors allowed was cut in half. staff, providers, and inmates were to be tested for covid-19. the inmates were to be given measles shots as the city is also experiencing an outbreak of measles as of april 2020. pakistan the first case in pakistan's prisons was detected on march 24 in camp jail, lahore. by april 14, 59 more cases were reported in the same jail, along with 14 in sialkot jail, seven in gujranwala and nine in dg khan jail, taking punjab province's total to 89. one case in quetta district jail was reported on april 6. there has been a discrepancy in the numbers provided by different authorities in punjab, but according to the highest figures collated by justice project pakistan, the country has more than 100 cases in prisons, as of april 13. philippines further information: covid-19 pandemic in the philippines detainees at the new bilibid prison in muntinlupa getting