Coronavirus: First prisoner infected with Covid-19

Inmate at HMP Manchester tests positive for virus as campaigners call on ministers to urgently release some of prison population or risk 'death sentence' for many

The infected inmate had been at HMP Manchester and is currently in hospital (Phil Noble/PA)

A prisoner has tested positive for coronavirus in what is the first confirmed case of an inmate contracting the disease in the UK.

The inmate had been at HMP Manchester and is currently in hospital. No other prison staff or prisoners at the facility have tested positive, but 13 prisoners and four members of staff have been put into isolation as a precaution, a prison service spokesperson said.

It comes after a prison officer tested positive for coronavirus in Surrey at HMP High Down on Saturday. Four prisoners are believed to have been placed in isolation as a precaution.

The Prison Officers Association has confirmed that nationally 113 staff and 75 prisoners are currently in isolation after showing symptoms of the virus.

Criminal justice charities are calling on the government to urgently release a proportion of the prison population to protect them from the current public health crisis, warning that not doing so could be a “death sentence” for many.

The government has drawn up emergency plans to prevent disruption in UK prisons during the coronavirus pandemic, after riots in prisons across Italy left 15 inmates dead and 40 guards injured.

A further 16 prisoners escaped during the unrest, which involved some 6,000 prisoners at more than two dozen facilities, sparked by the government's decision to suspend visits as part of efforts to curb the outbreak's spread.

The UK government's proposals include ensuring that isolated prisoners can contact their families and providing extra reading material to combat boredom, according to the BBC.

Under new advice issued by the Ministry of Justice on Friday, family and friends of inmates have also been urged not to visit if they have a high temperature or a new continuous cough.

Campaigners warned last week that the virus would “spread like wildfire” if it were to infiltrate Britain's prisons.

“Many prisons are filthy and disgustingly unhygienic. Staff, visitors and inmates are not able to wash and soap is frequently impossible to obtain,“ said Frances Crook of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Confirming the case, a prison service spokesperson said: “Staff are working closely with experts from Public Health England to take appropriate action, including measures to minimise the risk of further infection.

“In addition to the wellbeing of all our hard-working staff, along with visitors and prisoners, our priority is to maintain a normal regime for as long as possible, including visits.”