HMP Manchester were found to be 'well-managed and proportionate' and support for vulnerable prisoners, especially those at risk of self-harm, was 'good', with the introduction of trained counsellors praised as 'positive', an HMP Inspecorate of Prisons report found.
A Prison Service spokesperson said the restrictions saved lives.The prisons watchdog inspection looked at how three high security and long-term prisons - Strangeways, Belmarsh and Woodhill - were handling the pandemic.It was carried out after Strangeways and Belmarsh 'experienced outbreaks of the virus'.
In March a 66-year-old man at Strangeways became the second inmate in the country to die after testing positive for Covid-19.
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