Two more B.C. prisons declare COVID-19 outbreaks, dozens infected

There are now three active outbreaks of COVID-19 in federal prisons in B.C., with two announced by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) in the last 48 hours.

On Thursday, CSC announced 24 cases among inmates at Pacific Institution — a mixed-security facility in Abbotsford. The statement posted online does not mention if any workers have tested positive. The First positive case was identified on Jan. 17, according to the data provided by CSC.

This comes after Wednesday’s announcement that 28 prisoners tested positive at Matsqui Institution, a minimum-security prison located in the same Abbotsford correctional complex. The first positive case there was identified on Jan. 14. This statement also does not mention if any staff are infected.

Derek Chin, the Pacific region president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says getting up-to-date information on cases during this Omicron-driven wave of the pandemic is difficult because the virus is transmitting so rapidly.

“It’s hard to pinpoint a number because it’s always constantly changing. The number could change as we speak. Most of our institutions are experiencing infection rates right now.”

Chin says by Thursday, 33 guards working at Matsqui were off the job either because of illness or isolation requirements due to the outbreak. The total number of prisoners, according to the union, has risen to 37. CityNews has requested information about cases among staff at Pacific Institution from the union.

RELATED: Staffing, safety concerns as B.C. prison outbreak infects 51 guards, 41 prisoners

At Kent Institution in Agassiz, there have been 97 positive cases since Dec. 28. However, according to publicly available data, 35 have recovered. Chin says there are still 27 guards — about one in ten who work there — off the job. This is a significant decrease from two weeks ago when Chin said more than 50 correctional officers were sidelined due to COVID-19.

“We’re having a lot of officers working longer hours than their scheduled shifts. It’s causing a lot of fatigue,” Chin said when describing what it is like for his members working in prisons during the pandemic’s fifth wave.

“It presents challenges of whether the jail is opened, in terms of if the inmate routine can continue as per normal. We can’t run an inmate routine as per normal if we don’t have the bodies. It’s very difficult to run a jail when you are so short-staffed. When positions get unfilled, and then the routine has to go into a lockdown mode, where it’s very limited inmate movement, because we have to monitor what they’re doing. The inmates, they have to be supervised especially we’re we’re talking about the maximum and medium jails.”

The potential for an outbreak to lead to prolonged lockdowns is something advocates are particularly concerned about.

In April of 2020, there was a COVID-19 outbreak at Mission Institution. By the time it was declared over, 120 prisoners had tested positive, one of whom died from the virus. A coalition of activists demanded an inquest into the inmate’s death, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the Correctional Service of Canada, and the guard’s union slammed both the response to the outbreak and the investigations into members’ COVID-19-related safety complaints.

A November 2020 report by Prisoners’ Legal Services details the conditions for inmates during that lockdown. It says that during the lockdown, all access to programs and supports was suspended. Visitors were banned. Prisoners told the organization they did not have enough food, were not given access to showers, and were not allowed any phone calls either to lawyers or loved ones.

RELATED: Canadian prisons reporting COVID-19 outbreaks, dozens of new cases among staff

CSC provided a statement to CityNews on Jan. 13, in response to inquiries about whether the outbreak was cayusing any staffing and safety concerns at Kent Institution.

We regularly review impacts on staffing levels for all institutions, to ensure that appropriate resources are available to manage operational requirements and provide safe, humane care for the inmates in custody and we have contingency plans, which indicate additional measures that can be taken to address staffing levels, such as approving staff overtime and having managers replace correctional officers, as needed,” a spokesperson wrote.

“Currently, staffing levels at our institutions in the Pacific region are adequate to ensure the safe operations of the facilities.”

Measures brought in at facilities where there is an outbreak include requiring negative rapid test before entering the facility, and a suspension of in-person visits. Vaccinations have been available to inmates since January of last year. So far, in British Columbia, 81.5 per cent of fedderal prisoners have two doses, while 47.3 per cent have received a booster.

“Everyone’s health and safety continues to be our top priority. Since the start of the pandemic, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has been committed to reducing the risks of COVID-19 in all of its operations and keeping inmates, its employees, and the public safe,” the spokesperson continued.

“This is an evolving situation and we continue to apply and reinforce infection prevention and control measures to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19 and adapt based on public health advice. ”

CityNews has reached out again to CSC to request further comment.

With files from Monika Gul