00:00Prisons Commissioner Carlos Coraspe tells TV6 News prison officers have been informed of the availability of chickenpox vaccines, but few have expressed interest.
00:12We cannot, of course, mandate officers to take the vaccine. That is their choice.
00:17What is the feedback thus far?
00:19Well, I am not satisfied in terms of the feedback because I was told only a small number of officers have, in terms of the overall population of officers, a small number had wanted to take the vaccine.
00:36So we have again gone back out to the different periods.
00:39Earlier this week, a video of an officer infected with chickenpox went viral.
00:44You don't see more everything else. What officer safety, right?
00:49A total of 72 inmates and seven prison officers have contracted the infection since the first detected case back in November.
00:5943 of those 72 inmates have been medically treated and have been discharged because we identified a unit at the MSP to house persons who, inmates who were infected with the chickenpox virus.
01:16And, of course, as I said, seven officers who are being treated, one officer has since reported back out to duty.
01:25The acting commissioner is giving the assurance that the situation is being properly managed in collaboration with the county medical officer of health.
01:33We have stopped all clinics, internal clinics, from psychological clinic or dental clinic.
01:41We have stopped those at the maximum security prison.
01:44And there is no transfer of inmates at all into the maximum security prison at this time.
01:49We have also engaged sanitization because, of course, the virus is one that spread airborne in terms of fluids.
01:56So we have engaged sanitization across common areas.
02:03We did not stop the visits because, of course, the visits are a social aspect of the management of the inmate.
02:08And there are partitions between the visitor and the persons who come.
02:12So there is no opportunity for fluids, exchange about the fluids.
02:17However, the Prison Officers Association is calling for more to be done.
02:21Ultimately, we are not in control of the management of Detroit and Tobago Prison Service.
02:27But if it were up to me, it would have been like that.
02:31Total, complete isolation and lockdown.
02:35No visit, no nothing.
02:37But the head of the prison service disagrees.
02:40That is very impractical because, of course, it would mean for 21 days, if you just think about it, the officers will not be able to go home.
02:47The officers themselves, with their families and everything, wouldn't want to have to go through that, especially in a situation where you're not diagnosed.
02:54Six officers are currently at home on sick leave.
02:57And an additional five have recently been placed on quarantine.
03:02Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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