Dodds cluster now beaten, say authorities

The COVID-19 outbreak at HMP Dodds is no more, the Government COVID Communications Unit declared Monday.

The crisis at the island’s lone penal institution has been brought under control with only seven positive cases presently active, according to the authorities, who said that the island’s largest COVID-19 cluster had been neutralized.

At its peak, the cluster at the St Philip prison totalled 363 infected people – 85 prison officers, 261 inmates and 17 staff members.

The communications unit said in a statement: “Today, only seven COVID-positive persons remain to be medically discharged. Operations at the prison have so returned to normalcy, that Virtual Court will resume from the Prison effective today, Monday, February 1.”

Both Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Abrahams and Superintendent of Prisons Lieutenant Colonel John Nurse have declared Dodds a model in best practices for how an outbreak of COVID-19 at a prison could be managed.

Abrahams said the situation had improved to the point that all inmates who had served their time had been released.

Back on January 15, Dr Carl Ward, public health liaison for the prison, estimated it would have taken a further two weeks for the prison outbreak to be brought under control.

“I would like to think that in certainly less than 14 days from today. In certainly less than 14 days everything should be normal for the inmate population,” he told a news conference at the time.

The outbreak at the prison started on December 31 with the diagnosis of a single prison officer.

With a large number of prison officers later testing positive or in quarantine, officers from the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) and the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) assumed control of the prison.

Lt Col Nurse praised staff at the prison for their “tireless” work, which he said was ultimately responsible for their success in handling the outbreak.

He said: “While it is acknowledged that these protocols were easier to enforce in a prison-type situation where conformity and compliance are more easily achieved, our success in this instance was based on the persistence and dedication of our staff who were continuously on-site for 15 days, from December 21st.

“In the circumstances, the team at the prison mounted a heroic effort to maintain the prison and its standards during this difficult period.”

He also expressed appreciation for the support of the Ministry of Health in guiding the approach adopted by the Prison Service.

“Operational management and control during the outbreak could not have been achieved without the assistance and cooperation of the BDF and the RBPF who provided man-power to supplement depleted shifts,” Lt Col Nurse added.

Abrahams said through the efforts of the army and the police, the security and integrity of the prison were never compromised.

He also extended thanks to those dedicated officers who went above and beyond the call of duty.
(RB/COVID-19 UNIT)