All inmates will be tested, but are currently confined to their cells
The Coronavirus pandemic has caused a prison in the eastern part of the province of Groningen, in Ter Apel, to go into lockdown. Hundreds of prisoners will have to remain in their cells for the foreseeable future, but all inmates will be tested for the Coronavirus, GIC.nl reports.
The Coronavirus is circulating around the prison, with at least fourteen inmates said to be infected. A number of employees have also tested positive, but it is not yet fully known how the virus got into prison.
The prison’s management decided to take drastic measures to prevent further spread. The prisoners are now in their cells 24 hours a day, and the day-time learning programme has been stopped. Prisoners can read books or watch TV in their cells, and the measures will apply for at least five or six days.
Foreign nationals that have committed a criminal offence in the Netherlands are held in the prison in Ter Apel. Once they have served their sentence, they are returned to their country of origin.
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