PREPAREDNESS, PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF COVID-19 IN PRISONS AND OTHER PLACES OF DETENTION 14 9. TRAINING Training of staff is a key element of any preparedness plan for prisons and other places of detention. Training activities should be appropriately planned and targeted towards custodial and health-care staff operating in prison settings. Such activities should, at a minimum, cover the following areas: • • • • basic disease knowledge, including pathogen, transmission route, signs and clinical disease progression hand hygiene practice and respiratory etiquette appropriate use of, and requirements for, PPE environmental prevention measures, including cleaning and disinfection. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, WHO has developed several resources that may be useful in prisons and other places of detention. • Online training courses on IPC and clinical management of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) are available, free of charge, from OpenWHO, WHO’s web-based knowledge platform. These basic courses give a general introduction to COVID-19 and emerging respiratory viruses; they are intended for public health professionals, incident managers and personnel working for the United Nations, international organizations and nongovernmental organizations.28 • A risk communication package for health-care facilities provides health-care workers and health-care facility management with the information, procedures and tools required to work safely and effectively. The package contains a series of simplified messages and reminders based on WHO’s more in-depth technical guidance on IPC in health-care facilities in the context of COVID-19 and can be adapted to local context.29 • In addition, there is a range of technical guidance covering many topics, such as case management, operational support and logistics advice on use of masks.30 Finally, before embarking on any initiative, it is absolutely essential to engage the prison population in widespread information and awareness-raising activities, so that people in prison/detention and visitors are informed in advance and understand the procedures to be adopted, why they are necessary, and how they are to be carried out. It is especially important that any potential restrictive measures are explained and their temporary nature emphasized. Regrettably, as a consequence of stigma or fear, some health-care workers responding to COVID-19 in places of detention may experience avoidance by their family or community. This can make an already challenging situation far more difficult. Health-care personnel should be advised to stay connected with loved ones and have access to mental health and psychosocial support. 28 Emerging respiratory viruses, including COVID-19: methods for detection, prevention, response and control [OpenWHO online course]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020 (https://openwho.org/courses/introduction-to-ncov). 29 The COVID-19 risk communication package for healthcare facilities. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific; 2020 (https://iris.wpro.who.int/handle/10665.1/14482). 30 Country and technical guidance: coronavirus disease (COVID-19) [resource portal]. Geneva: World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novelcoronavirus-2019/technical-guidance).