COVID-19 in federal corrections: Resuming program and services

What is CSC's plan to resume programs and services?

Resuming program and service delivery is essential to supporting the Correctional Service Canada's CSC's legislated mandate. As restrictions related to COVID-19 begin to ease in regions across the country, CSC is working diligently to ensure the safe and gradual resumption of certain services and programs in federal institutions.

The timeline around reinstating any activities will vary across the country, informed by national, provincial and local circumstances and public health advice.

As these activities slowly resume, there are measures in place for those coming into the institutions detailed in this document.

As resumption of activities unfold, CSC will closely monitor the situation within its institutions. At the sign of one case of transmission in a site, contractors will no longer be allowed entry in that site until the outbreak is contained through contact tracing, testing and isolation.

What should I know before I return to an institution?

CSC is actively screening all persons entering CSC institutions. These measures are in place to ensure the safety of everyone in the institution and to limit the risk of infection from COVID-19.

Before coming to an institution, ask yourself these questions:

• Are you feeling sick (a new cough, headache, weakness, fever, difficulty breathing, etc.)?
• Have you travelled outside Canada in the past 14 days? 
• Have you provided care or had close contact with a person with COVID-19 without personal protection equipment?
• Are you coming from a community where there is a travel ban?
• Do you need to cross a provincial boundary and does public health in that province require you to self-isolate for 14 days?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, do not enter a CSC institution. Consult your local public health authorities as you may be required to self-isolate.

What should I know when I arrive at an institution?

You will have your temperature taken by a non-touch thermometer when you enter. If you register a temperature of 38°C or higher you will be required to sit at the entrance for fifteen minutes to allow your temperature to normalize. When fifteen minutes have passed, you will take a second temperature reading orally yourself using a disposable thermometer. If the second reading yields a result of 38°C or above, you will not be allowed to enter the operational site and will be instructed to return home immediately and contact your local public health authorities to seek testing for COVID-19.

What can I expect in an institution?

CSC is putting in place several measures to help prevent COVID-19 from entering the institutions and to control the spread if it does. The measures will vary based on the configuration of each location and the public health risk in each community.

You will be required to wear a mask on the premises at all times. We encourage you to bring your own, however if you arrive without one, CSC will provide one. You will also be required to clean and sanitize your hands at the main entrance and throughout the day as you move about the facility.

All offenders and staff have been provided masks to wear and are encouraged to respect the physical distancing of two meters. You will also be required to respect the same physical distancing.

We advise that you reach out to your CSC contact to find out what measures are in place in the specific institution you will be visiting.

Are there measures in place to keep me safe from COVID-19 while in an institution?

CSC is actively engaging experts on public health and infection prevention in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In our institutions, we have put these measures in place to limit the introduction of COVID-19 and reduce the spread of the virus:

• Active screening of all persons entering CSC institutions.
• Masks are being provided to all offenders and staff to wear. Contractors are also required to wear a mask, and will be provided with one if they do not have their own.
• Physical distancing of two meters is being enforced.
• Office doors will be kept open when possible for air circulation and shared offices will be disinfected between uses.
• Cleaning practices have been enhanced, including disinfecting common areas and high-contact surfaces.
• Shared equipment will be cleaned before and after each use.
• Hand sanitizer will be available to staff, inmates and contractors throughout the institution, including program spaces.

For group programming, groups will be significantly smaller, chairs will be spaced apart, everyone will be wearing masks, and session lengths may be shorter.

All sites will implement measures based on the layout of individual institutions and the status of the virus in each local area. Our top priority remains the health and safety of inmates, staff and all those entering our institutions.

Have more questions?

We advise that you reach out to your CSC contact for more information, including information regarding specific institutions.