Queensland Health has been undertaking contact tracing at the Wolston Correctional Centre after it was locked down when an officer tested positive for COVID-19.
The Offender Development Officer was off-duty and last attended the centre on 8 April.
In a statement, Queensland Corrective Services said 8 April was the day it introduced health screening and temperature checking for all officers at the start of shift, and the officer showed no symptoms of COVID-19 prior to beginning the shift.
“On advice of the positive test, the centre immediately started to work with Queensland Health to identify the people with whom the officer had contact in the time they may have been contagious,” Corrective Services said.
“As a precaution, the officer’s work team has been given orders to self-isolate while this work is undertaken. All have undergone health screening and temperature checks before entering the prison on every shift.”
The Agency said a number of prisoners across the centre might also have had contact with the officer, and they had been identified.
“Steps were being taken to isolate these prisoners and provide testing as necessary,” it said.
“To date, there have been no prisoners test positive to COVID-19 in Queensland prisons, including Wolston.
“The parts of the prison frequented by the officer, including the programs staff office and the classrooms are undergoing a forensic clean.”
Corrective Services said Wolston Correctional Centre would remain in lockdown until such time as it received advice from Queensland Health that it was safe to ease restrictions.
