Inmate at Toronto South Detention Centre tests positive for COVID-19

An inmate at a Toronto prison has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General confirmed.

A statement from the ministry sent out Wednesday said that an inmate at the Toronto South Detention Centre tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the statement, the ministry was informed by local public health that the inmate was a possible COVID-19-related case upon admission, and was immediately placed in isolation.

All infection prevention steps have since been taken by the TSDC, and screening procedures for respiratory illness will continue, the statement continues.

2:50 Coronavirus outbreak: 3 more COVID-19 deaths in Toronto as city closes all parks

“The health and safety of our staff and those in our custody is the top priority,” said Brent Ross, a spokesperson for the ministry.

“We recognize and thank our dedicated staff, who are working hard to keep our correctional facilities and our communities safe.

Ontario reported 100 new cases of COVID-19, along with five more deaths related to the illness earlier on Wednesday.

The new count brings the provincial total to 671 active cases, as well as 13 deaths.

2:01 Is self-isolation making Torontonians friendlier?

Earlier this month, a guard at a correctional facility in the Greater Toronto Area tested positive for the virus, sparking a call for new procedures and a call for concern for those working inside Ontario jails.

OPSEU President Warren Thomas told Global News on Saturday that correctional institutions can be a “petri dish” in how how they spread infections, and that he was worried that reaction to the virus threat has been too “sluggish.”

“We need to get ahead of the danger,” he said.