According to the information obtained by the Office of the Commissioner, as of 19 March 2020
there were no cases of COVID-19 infections in the guarded centres for foreigners. No foreign national
staying there was under quarantine398. At the guarded centres, no foreign migrants, no employees or
other persons employed by the Office for Foreigners, by a medical operator or other external company
had symptoms of coronavirus infection399.
In guarded centres for foreigners, the following procedure, in force since 2017, was followed:
Procedure for ensuring sanitary and epidemiological safety, and for alerts on sanitary and infectious
diseases for persons staying in the guarded centres for foreigners. The Chief Sanitary Inspector from
the Ministry of Interior and Administration took part in drafting the procedure400.
In order to prevent infections, the following guidelines of the Chief Sanitary Inspector from the
Ministry of the Interior and Administration were adopted: Guidelines for officers and employees in
contact with persons suspected of infection with the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, of 28 February 2020.
Medical personnel were familiarised with the procedures developed by the Chief Sanitary Inspector
from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. Regular working contacts were also maintained
with the local Sanitary Inspector401. The medical operator cooperating with the Office for Foreigners
implemented their own internal procedure designed specifically for guarded centres for foreigners and
relating to the risk of COVID-19402. Also, in guarded centres for foreigners:
•
personal protective equipment (disinfectants, protective masks, gloves) was provided for the
staff and the foreign migrants; hand and surface disinfectants were available in all staff rooms
as well as at entrance doors;
•
daily disinfection of common spaces in the centres was carried out;
•
a prohibition to receive visits was introduced; they were replaced by "virtual visits" with the use
of an electronic communicator;
•
the practice of 14-day preventive observation of newly arrived persons was introduced; the
persons stayed in a medical isolation room or another room assigned to the isolation purposes;
•
body temperature checks in the detained foreigners were introduced as a preventive measure
(the temperature was checked at least once a day) as well as body temperature checks of all
398
See: letter of the Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard of 19 March 2020, KG-CU-IV.072.1.2020; Letter
of the Head of the Office for Foreigners of 20 March 2020, DPS.WII.0733.2.2020/KL.
399
See: letter of the Head of the Office for Foreigners of 20 March 2020, DPS.WII.0733.2.2020/KL.
400
Ibid.
401
See: letter of the Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard of 19 March 2020, KG-CU-IV.072.1.2020.
402
See letter of the Head of the Office for Foreigners of 20 March 2020, DPS.WII.0733.2.2020/KL.
146
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