Prisoner says hellish conditions in remand quarantine provide disincentive to report symptoms

Conditions in the Edmonton Rem and centre’s covid-19 quarantine unit are so miserable, inmates are often not upfront about potential symptoms for fear of a mandatory two-week lockup, a former prisoner says.

Since the outbreak, all prisoners entering the remand centre, as well as anyone admitted to the infirmary, are required to spend at least two weeks in quarantine.

In an affidavit filed July 25, Darcy Mohamed called his 14 days in the centre’s quarantine unit “hell.” He described being locked up with a cellmate for all but 40 minutes a day with no access to books, TV, or anything to pass the time.

His cellmate attempted suicide, he said.

“Quarantine, as described above, is hell, and I believe this provides an enormous disincentive for prisoners to truthfully report any symptoms,” Mohamed said in the sworn statement.

Alberta Health Services says strict protocols are in place to prevent COVID -19 outbreaks in jails. While mostly successful so far, Mohamed’s affidavit raises questions about how consistently the protocols are being followed.

Alberta Corrections has had just nine positive COVID-19 cases — three linked to the Edmonton remand.

Provincial jails house pretrial prisoners as well as anyone serving a sentence of two years or less.

Sabrina Atwal, an AHS spokeswoman, said “infection-prevention protocols” are in place at all Alberta correctional facilities. All new arrivals take a COVID -19 test and are isolated for a minimum of 14 days.

Once inside, inmates are assessed for symptoms and potential exposure at least daily.

Jails have also “enhanced” cleaning procedures, reduced the amount of time inmates gather in groups and “minimized” movement within the institution. Staff undergo pre-shift screening and are required to wear masks.

Despite this, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley wrote in a July 2 decision that implementing guidelines “has not been complete or prompt.”

She added that “there has been little testing and there is no random testing regime in place in relation to the hundreds or thousands of people who are either confined there or enter and leave it each day.”

Mohamed, 39, was jailed at the Edmonton remand June 7 and released in late July. He spent the first four days in the infirmary, after which he was transferred to a quarantine unit.

Mohamed has severe asthma and said he was denied access to an inhaler while in quarantine. Neither he nor his cellmate were allowed to access the jail’s canteen.

Once released from quarantine, Mohamad was housed on a general-population unit, locked up with a cellmate every other hour.

During the course of his stay, he had a total of six cellmates. He said neither he nor fellow inmates who work as cleaners had access to alcohol-based sanitizers.

Mohamed said he tried his best to monitor for symptoms, keep his distance from other inmates and sanitize his cell. But some inmates either don’t care about following COVID protocols, believe it’s a hoax or aren’t aware of the risks, he said.

“Every morning, when asked if I have COVID-19 symptoms, I ask the nurse what COVID-19 symptoms are, to make the point that other prisoners will not understand what the nurse is asking,” Mohamed said.

“In response, the nurse usually just laughs at me and moves on.”

He added the only time he’s been provided a mask was for CCTV court appearances.

“I believe this is purely for show, as the mask must be returned as we leave the CCTV rooms,” he said.

Jeff Kent, another remand centre inmate, said masks were readily available on his unit, but echoed Mohamed’s concerns about quarantine.

“If I go to health care and say ‘I’ve got a fever, or I’m sniffling,’ I’ve guaranteed myself two weeks of absolute misery.”

Eric Crowther, Mohamed’s lawyer, said there is little to ensure AHS’S COVID-19 protocols are being followed in correctional facilities.

“There’s no audit, no independent sort of confirmation that anybody’s doing anything,” he said.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said AHS’S protocols in jails appear to be working, noting the two most recent Edmonton remand cases were caught before the inmates were released into the general population.

However, she said she hadn’t considered whether correctional facilities should be subject to audits to ensure COVID-19 protocols are being followed.

“I will reinforce that the safety of those who live and work in these facilities is critical,” Hinshaw said during a news conference last Tuesday.

Tom Engel, a defence lawyer and president of the Canadian Prison Law Association, said he repeatedly raised the issue with Hinshaw’s office and the justice ministry and received no response.