Groningen jail complex closed after Covid outbreak

A police detention facility in Groningen was closed Wednesday night after several employees there tested positive for a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Over 40 employees on the team responsible for working with detainees at the facility on Hooghoudtstraat were placed into quarantine, authorities said.

“Four employees have now tested positive for the coronavirus and a number of employees are still awaiting a test result,” police said in a statement. “The source and contact investigation of the infected employees has been started by the GGD Groningen in coordination with the company doctor of the Northern Netherlands police.”

The statement noted that contact between people is typically limited to short durations and at a safe physical distance based on RIVM recommendations.

All inmates were transferred to other facilities. It was not clear when the Hooghoudt jail complex would reopen.