The inside of a cell at Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Burnside. It's super small, and everything is painted beige. There are two bunks, one obscuring the small window. There's a tiny table bolted to the wall, and one stool bolted to the floor. The toilet sink combo is in the corner by the door. Very homey.
A jail cell in the north wing of the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility. Photo: Halifax Examiner

There are now 82 cases of COVID-19 at the provincial jail in Burnside.

Justice Department spokesperson Heather Fairbairn confirmed the new total at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in an email to the Halifax Examiner on Friday.

“None are in hospital. There are no cases in the women’s unit. As we mentioned previously, several staff members have also tested positive or are awaiting results and are self-isolating,” Fairbairn wrote.

The case count is up since Tuesday, when the Examiner reported it was 74.

There were 230 prisoners at the jail as of Thursday, and Fairbairn said three people “were approved for temporary absence/early release in the last two days.”

There are no cases in other provincial corrections facilities, Fairbairn said.

In federal prisons in Nova Scotia, where cases are proactively reported online, there have been a total of 25 cases as of Wednesday — 24 at Nova Institution for Women and one at Springhill Institution. Of the cases at Nova, 13 are considered active and 11 are considered recovered.

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Zane Woodford

Zane Woodford is the Halifax Examiner’s municipal reporter. He covers Halifax City Hall and contributes to our ongoing PRICED OUT housing series. Twitter @zwoodford

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