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Michael Cooper / pa
A prisoner has tested positive for Covid-19 for the first time in Northern Ireland.
The man, who was placed on remand at Maghaberry Prison on Thursday, is being treated in a special unit at the prison.
He was separated from the main prison population to ensure the safety of staff and other inmates.
The director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, Ronnie Armor, said that the new prisoners are isolated for 14 days due to Covid-19.
In a statement, the Justice Department confirmed that it was the first positive test from a prisoner in Northern Ireland.
“The robust processes in place in response to the pandemic have ensured that this has been contained, and the Correctional Service will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of all in our prisons during these difficult times,” the statement said.
Maghaberry Prison is the only category ‘A’ prison in Northern Ireland and also functions as a remand prison for all adult male prisoners.
Belfast place closed
Meanwhile, a total of eight ban notices were sent out to pubs in Northern Ireland between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Since the reopening of licensed locations on July 3, 2020, PSNI has issued 33 ban notices at licensed locations, including locations in Banbridge, Irvinestown, Roslea, Tempo, Coleraine, Bangor, and Moy.
A licensed premises in Belfast closed after receiving a ban notice from PSNI on Saturday night.
In a tweet, Police Chief Simon Byrne said the venue was closed for violating Covid-19 regulations.
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PSNI
Police Chief Simon Byrne and Medical Director Michael McBride joined a PSNI licensing officer to inspect the bars and restaurants of Belfast city center on Saturday night
Mr Byrne and Medical Director Michael McBride had joined PSNI officers on routine patrols and license checks of bars and restaurants in the city center of Belfast.
He said the vast majority were compliant with regulations.
A ban notice requires facilities to stop what enforcement officials consider unsafe activity – in this case, violations of NI 2020 Health Protection Regulations (Coronavirus Restrictions) – but it does not necessarily mean that a venue needs to close. .
Health Minister Robin Swann said he wants to prioritize stronger legislation to address the problem.
Daily Covid-19 test figures released on Sunday showed 106 new cases have been reported in the past 24 hours.
The weekend figures from the Health Department are not complete statistics and do not provide details of coronavirus-related deaths.
In the Republic of Ireland, 138 new cases were confirmed on Sunday, 68 of which were in Dublin.
This follows 231 new cases confirmed on Saturday when more than half (58%) of the new infections recorded were in Dublin, with 133 positive tests in the county.
In response to Saturday’s figures, Ireland’s Acting Medical Director Dr Ronan Glynn said it was “important that the people of Dublin keep their social contacts as low as possible.”
Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin urged people to “heed the words” of Mr. Glynn.
Irish health authorities have opened two “emerging Covid-19 swab centers” in Croke Park and Castleknock Health Center in response to the rising infection rate in the capital.
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More than 250,000 people have been evaluated in NI
No new coronavirus-related deaths were reported on Sunday, so the death toll in the Republic remains at 1,777, while a total of 29,672 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak began.
In Northern Ireland, the Department of Health death toll is 564.
However, the Northern Ireland Research and Statistics Agency (Nisra), which produces more comprehensive figures, said on Friday that Covid-19 had been mentioned on 873 death certificates as of August 28.
Since the pandemic began, 250,425 people have been tested for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.
Of these, 7,621 people tested positive for the virus, meaning that around 3% of the people tested tested positive.
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