COVID-19's prisoners, prevention in the jail

We can see how in many countries prisoners start protest because prisons are not ready for coronavirus or any other pandemy, a clear example of that is Colombia, where last saturday prisoners from 13 comlombian's jails starring protest for crowded conditions problems.

The World Health Organization (WHO) create a article about how to prevent coronavirus in this places and recommendations for future pandemics

People deprived of their liberty, such as people in prisons and other places of detention, are likely to be more vulnerable to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak than the general population because of the confined conditions in which they live together for prolonged periods of time.

Experience shows that prisons, jails and similar settings where people are gathered in close proximity may act as a source of infection, amplification and spread of infectious diseases within and beyond prisons. Prison health is therefore widely considered as public health. The response to COVID-19 in prisons and other places of detention is particularly challenging, requiring a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, for the following reasons: 

1. Widespread transmission of an infectious pathogen affecting the community at large poses a threat of introduction of the infectious agent into prisons and other places of detention; the risk of rapidly increasing transmission of the disease within prisons or other places of detention is likely to have an amplifying effect on the epidemic, swiftly multiplying the number of people affected.
2. Efforts to control COVID-19 in the community are likely to fail if strong infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, adequate testing, treatment and care are not carried out in prisons and other places of detention as well.
3. In many countries, responsibility for health-care provision in prisons and other places of detention lies with the Ministry of Justice/Internal Affairs. Even if this responsibility is held by the Ministry of Health, coordination and collaboration between health and justice sectors are paramount if the health of people in prisons and other places of detention and the wider community is to be protected.
4. People in prisons and other places of detention are already deprived of their liberty and may react differently to further restrictive measures imposed upon them.

Depending on the COVID-19 situation of the specific country, the risk of introducing COVID-19 into prisons and other places of detention may vary. In areas with no local virus circulation, the risk of virus introduction into closed settings may be associated with prison staff or newly admitted individuals who have recently stayed in affected countries or areas or who have been in contact with people returning from affected countries or areas. However, as several countries in Europe are now experiencing widespread sustained community transmission, the risk of transmission has substantially increased. 

Contingency planning is essential in ensuring an adequate health response and maintaining secure, safe and humane detention settings. Generally, plans are available for local, short-lived emergency and resilience actions. However, the evolving nature of infectious outbreaks of epidemic or pandemic proportions, locally, nationally and globally, go beyond such plans, having a potential impact on security, the wider judicial system and, in extreme cases, civil order.

The human rights framework provides guiding principles in determining the response to the outbreak of COVID-19. The rights of all affected people must be upheld, and all public health measures must be carried out without discrimination of any kind. People in prisons and other places of detention are not only likely to be more vulnerable to infection with COVID-19, they are also especially vulnerable to human rights violations. For this reason, WHO reiterates important principles that must be respected in the response to COVID-19 in prisons and other places of detention, which are firmly grounded in human rights law as well as the international standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice:

•  The provision of health care for people in prisons and other places of detention is a State responsibility.
•  People in prisons and other places of detention should enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the outside community, without discrimination on the grounds of their legal status.
•  Prisons and other detention authorities need to ensure that the human rights of those in their custody are respected, that people are not cut off from the outside world, and – most importantly – that they have access to information and adequate healthcare provision.
• refined allocation procedures should be considered that would allow prisoners at highest risk to be separated from others in the most effective and least disruptive manner possible and that would permit limited single accommodation to remain available to the most vulnerable. 
• Upon admission to prisons and other places of detention, all individuals should be screened for fever and lower respiratory tract symptoms; particular attention should be paid to persons with contagious diseases. If they have symptoms compatible with COVID-19, or if they have a prior COVID-19 diagnosis and are still symptomatic, they should be put into medical isolation until there can be further medical evaluation and testing.

This is only a few recommendations from WHO, if you need more information, you can find here.