20 Jul 2020

Guam Corrections to test all inmates and staff

6:54 pm on 20 July 2020

The Department of Corrections in Guam is planning to test all inmates, detainees and employees for Covid-19 after another staff member was confirmed with the coronavirus.

A health worker puts a swab into a tube after collecting a sample for Covid-19 coronavirus testing in Gombak on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur on April 22, 2020.

A health worker puts a swab into a tube after collecting a sample for Covid-19 coronavirus testing in Gombak on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur on April 22, 2020. Photo: Mohd Rasfan / AFP

The Pacific Daily News reported last month's positive test followed an April case involving another staff member.

Seventeen staff were tested after the initial case and five more were tested and quarantined since the latest confirmation, with all producing negative results.

Federal Public Defender John Gorman welcomed the announcement about planned tests.

Mr Gorman recently wrote to the District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood, outlining his concerns about the lack of clarity around the prison's Covid-19 related policies.

He said the department's pledge to test inmates and staff was sorely needed.