The death of a correctional officer from the Saint-Jérôme prison as a result of COVID-19 has shaken the province’s detention centers, already hard hit by the fifth wave.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
The correctional officer, a man in his 50s, contracted COVID-19 in mid-January, before being hospitalized in early February. He died Friday evening, confirmed the president of the Union of peace officers in correctional services of Quebec (SAPSCQ-CSN), Mathieu Lavoie.
“We had agents who were very sick [de la COVID-19], but this is the first death. It is sure that it is an announcement which comes to touch the colleagues, which is frustrating too. Morale was already difficult, ”he reports.
Quebec recorded a drop of 94 hospitalizations on Saturday. The province has mourned 33 new deaths.
“Enormous pressure” in detention centers
In the detention centres, the situation remains critical. According to the SAPSCQ-CSN, two-thirds of correctional institutions are currently struggling with an outbreak. This is particularly the case for the prisons of Saint-Jérôme, Amos and Québec.
In other waves, outbreaks were concentrated in certain establishments. We didn’t have as many establishments hatching at the same time. The spread is lightning fast. That’s the big difference [de cette vague].
Mathieu Lavoie, president of SAPSCQ-CSN
On Saturday, it was impossible to reach the Ministry of Public Security, which is responsible for the province’s detention facilities.
The virus circulates mainly in the prison population. Nearly 400 inmates are currently infected, reports the union, which observes a plateau in the number of cases. About fifty correctional officers are also absent due to the virus, supports Mathieu Lavoie.
“It added enormous pressure. There were already personnel issues before the pandemic, ”underlines the union.
In order to compensate for the lack of staff, the establishments resort to “compulsory overtime” (TSO), which the union decries. At Saint-Jérôme prison, the union even evokes a “scourge of the TSO”. “There is TSO every day in some establishments,” laments Mr. Lavoie.