Consultant for the Barbados Prison Officers Association, Senator Caswell Franklyn has criticized Government and prison authorities for what he says are efforts to discredit three prison officers.

This, as a number of prison officers, contracted COVID-19 after attending a Boxing Day bus crawl, now described as a super spreader event which has so far seen over 30 new COVID-19 cases.

Yesterday Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Abrahams issued a call for Dave Best, Paul Outram and Nigel Hall, to present themselves at the Eunice Gibson Polyclinic in Warrens, St Michael, so they can be tested for the coronavirus.

However, the Opposition Senator Franklyn says health officials already knew their location and the men had already been tested for the virus at the Winston Scott Polyclinic.

He accuses authorities of misleading the public about the situation. He also believes the men are being targeted for other unrelated reasons.

He noted that none of the three men attended the bus crawl and they will be taking legal action.

The officers are currently in quarantine at a south coast hotel.