In light of the information provided by the Directorate-General of Reintegration and Prison Services to RTP/Açores, stating that it had only received today, April 21, a request from the Regional Government to carry out tests to the prisoners released in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Regional Government considers it essential to make the following clarification public:
1. On April 11, the day when the law establishing the release of prisoners in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic came into force, the Regional Secretary for Health contacted by telephone the Heads of the Ponta Delgada and Angra do Heroísmo Prison Establishments, requesting that the prisoners to be released in the Azores, under that law, should only be released after testing for COVID-19.
All procedures would be carried out by the Regional Health Service.
2. On April 12, the government official sent an email to the Heads of the two regional prison establishments, providing the contact details of the health delegates of Angra do Heroísmo and Ponta Delgada in order to implement the aforementioned measure.
3. On the same day, the Regional Secretary for Health received an email from the Head of the Ponta Delgada Prison Establishment, also sent to the Head of the Angra do Heroísmo Prison Establishment, informing that, after requesting guidance from the Director-General of Reintegration and Prison Services on the matter and having contacted the Director-General of Health, it was decided that the “testing of inmates was not justified.”
In the same email, the Head of the Ponta Delgada Prison Establishment informed "that, should you consider it pertinent, I am available to provide a telephone contact number to the inmates who are to be released, instructing them that it is mandatory to contact your services in the coming days for the purposes deemed convenient."
4. In view of this decision, which prevented the access to the prison establishments located in the Autonomous Region of the Azores to collect samples and carry out COVID-19 testing prior to release, the Regional Health Authority has decided to carry out tests on former inmates once these are released.
5. Due the emergence of two positive cases concern former inmates from the Angra do Heroísmo Prison Establishment, the Regional Secretary for Health insisted on the request to conduct COVID-19 tests, which was accepted.
6. Hence, the information provided to RTP/Açores by the Director-General of Reintegration and Prison Services, according to which the Regional Government only requested the testing of inmates to be released for COVID-19 today, April 21, is not true.
7. The Regional Government's request for this purpose was initially made by telephone on April 11, followed by the exchange of emails on April 12.
This request was refused.