Confirmed COVID-19 case at Albany Regional Prison

The Department of Justice is responding to a confirmed COVID-19 case at Albany Regional Prison. In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the DOJ confirmed one prisoner had tested positive for COVID-19 at Albany Regional Prison amid cases at six WA custodial facilities. It comes after the Great Southern region recorded 43 new COVID-19 cases to 8pm Tuesday, amid 6062 new local cases across WA. Wednesday’s confirmed new cases pushed the Great Southern’s active case load to 192. The DOJ is working to contain a COVID-19 outbreak at Hakea Prison where 104 prisoners and 18 staff had tested positive as of Wednesday. Prisoners have also tested positive at Melaleuca Women’s Prison (26), Bandyup Women’s Prison (7), Banksia Hill Detention Centre (3), Roebourne Prison (1) and Albany Prison (1). As of Wednesday, 86 per cent of WA prisoners and detainees had received at least one COVID-19 vaccination with 71 per cent double vaccinated. Corrective Services Commissioner Mike Reynolds said COVID-19 positive prisoners were being isolated away from other prisoners in line with health directives and protocols. “Likewise, staff members who have tested positive will isolate at home, in line with health directions, until they are no longer infectious,” he said. “The Department is well prepared to deal with this situation, we anticipated COVID-19 would get into correctional facilities when community spread reached the high levels we are seeing now in WA.”