In response to the Lusa agency, the directorate-general (DGRSP) stated that "it is working to adapt the parliaments and procedures to the rules now defined by the Directorate-General for Health, so that, during the month of June, visits to prisoners and young people hospitalised in educational centres can be initiated with the necessary security, in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, to preserve the health of workers, inmates and visitors.

The DGRSP also stresses that visits to prisoners and young people hospitalised in educational centres will be "resumed with previous scheduling, a maximum limit of 30 minutes and with delayed times to avoid crowds at the entrance and exit, according to rules published today".

On Tuesday, 26 May, the DGS published on its official website the recommendations and guidelines for resuming visits by prisoners in educational centres. Among the recommendations is the reorganisation of spaces to guarantee a physical distance of two metres and privileging videoconferences whenever this is not possible.

According to DGS, for the meeting between visitors, if it is not possible to ensure a distance of two metres, there must be physical barriers, such as acrylics, to avoid physical contact and transmission of droplets.

Spaces should be ventilated between visits, rooms should have dustbins with covers and pedals, lined with plastic bags, bars should be closed and visitors should not use the same sanitary facilities as prisoners and young people.

Visitors must also respect the usual rules of hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, circulation circuits must be created in the spaces to prevent people from crossing.

Visitors must wear a mask from the moment they enter until the time they leave the prison or educational centre. The spaces must provide solutions of alcohol or water and soap and visitors have to clean their hands at the entrance and exit.

Professional and technical guards must be guaranteed the necessary personal protective equipment.

Visits to detainees have been banned since March, and three daily telephone calls lasting five minutes each are currently allowed.

In the meantime, the Government approved on 11 April the exceptional regime for the release of prisoners that allowed 1,918 prisoners to be released, according to the latest data from the DGRSP.

As of last week, prison services had conducted nearly 1,500 screening tests for covid-19 and 18 people tested positive for the new coronavirus, including four inmates.