Second COVID-19 case identified in prison system as inmate tests positive in Dublin jail

A second case of COVID-19 has reportedly been identified in a Dublin prison.

A man in his 20s tested positive for the virus at Cloverhill Prison in Cherry Orchard after recently returning from abroad.

But luckily prison officials knew about the man’s symptoms before he arrived and are confident that any possible outbreak has been contained, according to the Irish Times.

The man was tested for COVID-19 at the Coolock Garda station after being arrested for a number of petty crimes, including criminal damage, theft and traffic offenses.

The man told Gardai that he had just returned from a trip abroad and had been showing symptoms of COVID-19.

It was then transported through the city, where officers in full PPE equipment conducted another COVID test en route.

Since then, it has been known that the man has COVID-19, but has been in quarantine for 14 days since his arrival at the prison and, therefore, has not mixed with other Pirsoneros.

The news comes after a female prisoner in a Dublin prison became the first female prisoner to test positive for COVID-19 last Friday.

An inmate on remand at the Dochas Center at Mountjoy in Dublin tested positive for the coronavirus as part of routine tests for newcomers.

She has been in quarantine since she arrived at the prison and it was understood that she is currently asymptomatic and in good health.

The news comes as health officials announced a total of 127 new COVID-19 cases in Ireland today, bringing the total number of infections to 28,578.

Furthermore, no further deaths have been announced, as the death toll stands at 1,777.

Of the cases reported today;

• 70 are men / 57 are women
• 80% are under 45 years old
• 66 have been confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case.
• 8 cases have been identified as community transmission
• 52 in Dublin, 13 in Monaghan, 9 in Tipperary, 8 in Meath, 8 in Wexford, 8 in Roscommon and the remaining 29 in Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Offaly, Waterford, Westmeath and Wicklow.