It is hard to turn on the television or access social media at the moment without being faced with what feels like a never-ending tirade of news articles about the current coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19 has swept the globe more quickly than we could have ever imagined.

Quite rightly, we need to ensure that anybody who becomes infected with this virus is treated quickly and with the care and dignity that we all deserve. However, tracking and locating sources of transmission is of equal importance if we are to slow and eliminate the spread of the virus.

Across the country, long-term care and detention facilities risk being unable to curb this spread. The way in which we house prisoners and patients in mental health units in shared cells or in congregated social areas does not afford them the protection from this virus that each and every one of us deserves.

On 25 March 2020, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, wrote that Covid-19 “risks rampaging such institutions” and that “governments should address the situation of detained people in their crisis planning to protect detainees, staff, visitors and of course wider society”.

The UK Government has recently published measures that were supposed to protect prisoners and prison staff alike through the use of single person cells and the early release of prisoners who were within 2 months of their release date. However, these measures do not go far enough, nor are they being implemented as quickly as they should be in the current circumstances in which we are living.

As of 5pm on 13 April 2020, only 18 prisoners (14 of who are pregnant women or women with babies) have been released. At the same time:

207 prisoners across 57 prisons have tested positive, 13 of whom have died.

62 prison staff across 28 prisons have tested positive, 3 of whom have died.

5 Prisoners Escort Service staff have tested positive.

It is clear that the Government is not acting quickly enough. More urgent action must be taken if we are to save the lives of those who are currently detained by the State and those who are working alongside them. This can only be done by releasing prisoners across the prison estate in order to protect prisoners and prison staff alike in these trying times.

We therefore join INQUEST’s call for an immediate increase in the number of prisoners being granted early release.

It is time to act quickly and decisively.

It is time to #Release2SaveLives.