Coronavirus: High Down Prison officer tests positive
GoogleA prison officer has tested positive for coronavirus, the Ministry of Justice has said.
The male officer from High Down Prison, Surrey, is believed to be the first person in any UK prison to be confirmed as being infected with the virus.
He tested positive on Saturday and is now at home recuperating.
Four prisoners who were in close contact with the prison officer have been placed in isolation, as a precaution.
Earlier, the government published new guidance saying prisoners and immigration detainees across England and Wales who are infected with coronavirus could be grouped together to reduce the risk to others.
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The Ministry of Justice said the strategy, which is known as "cohorting", would be used if there were not enough cells for inmates with the virus to be held separately.
The measures will also apply to children held in secure children's homes and secure training centres, a government spokesman said.
High Down is a local category B prison located in Banstead.
An inspection in 2018 said 400 of the 1,130 men held there were in "overcrowded cells that had been designed for one person".
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