VANCOUVER

2 inmates at Mission Institution test positive for COVID-19

CTV News Vancouver

Jen St. Denis Reporter, CTVNewsVancouver.ca

@jenstden Contact

Published Saturday, April 4, 2020 2:33PM PDT Last Updated Saturday, April 4, 2020 2:34PM PDT

Robert Dezwaan, who murdered a teen in 2001, was being held in a minimum security prison in Mission.

Text:

VANCOUVER -- Two inmates at Mission Institution have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers.

The outbreak at the medium-security facility follows news on Friday that one inmate at Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver had tested positive.

According to a statement sent by the union, Mission Institution is now under lockdown to limit the spread of the virus.

The union said that correctional officers are concerned about supplies of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, which are in short supply across Canada as the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations grow.

The statement said the union has asked Bill Blair, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, to provide enough test kits to federal penitentiaries to test at-risk staff members.