B.C. corrections facility dealing with another COVID-19 outbreak

The Surrey Pretrial Services Centre is pictured from above in this 2019 photo.

VANCOUVER — A provincial corrections facility is currently dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19, B.C. health officials confirmed Wednesday.

The latest outbreak is at the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre, located on 57th Avenue.

In a joint statement, B.C.'s provincial health officer and health minister said protocols are in place, and Fraser Health is conducting contact tracing.

Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister Adrian Dix did not say how many people are impacted by the outbreak, and the health authority has yet to provide details.

It's not the first potential exposure at the centre. Three employees tested positive back in October.

Currently, visits from the public are restricted in detention centres under BC Corrections.

Any visitors considered exceptions must follow safe hygiene and self-screening measures, and staff are subjected to the same protocols.

Anyone showing signs of illness is not permitted, the province says.

Outbreaks of the novel coronavirus have been reported in other corrections facilities located in the province during the pandemic, including at the federal Mission Institution, which saw at least one-third of inmates infected.

BC Corrections' Okanagan Correctional Centre also dealt with an outbreak, and staff members tested positive for COVID again in the summer.