Some offenders serving the custody portion of their intermittent sentences on weekends are being moved to house arrest over concerns over the potential spread of COVID-19 in the province's correctional facilities, according to a spokesperson for Alberta Justice.

Several lawyers groups in the province are calling for sweeping changes to Alberta's prison system, including implementing early releases, to prevent an "impending emergency" due to the spread of COVID-19.

In the last several weeks, a number of prison guards across the Prairies have been exposed to fentanyl during searches or while treating inmates.