TWO people have died as a result of an outbreak of Covid-19 at Erlestoke Prison near Devizes, it has been revealed. They include a prison facilities maintenance contractor who was near to retirement and prisoner Christopher McDonagh, 56, who died in hospital on February 25. The contractor worked for Gov Facility Services Ltd, which does maintenance work on prisons across the south. Confirming the deaths, a Prison Service spokesperson said: “HMP Erlestoke prisoner Christopher McDonagh died in hospital on 25 February. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed. “Our priority is to limit the spread of the virus and protect the lives of those who live and work in our prisons. We have taken precautionary measures at Erlestoke, in line with public health guidance, and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”