More than 7000 Queensland prisoners are in lockdown after a prison officer tested positive for COVID-19.

The correctional officer, a 60-year-old Forest Lake man, returned a positive test yesterday after last reporting for duty at the Queensland Corrective Services Academy last Friday.

The Courier-Mail has been told the majority of close-contact results have come back as negative - it's understood more than 20 negative results have already come back.

That case follows a cluster of other cases linked to the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre.

Prisons locked down with Stage 4 restrictions mean "non-essential" out-of-cell time and prisoner movement is suspended.

Visits from family, friends and legal representatives are banned and only essential workers including officers and Queensland Health staff are allowed entry.

People entering must undergo screening including thermal imaging and new prisoners in the jails are subject to 14-day isolation periods.

"On advice from the CHO (Chief Health Officer), all officers and essential workers entering these prisons must don a surgical face mask as PPE under the supervision of Queensland Health staff where they are unable to socially distance or are in close contact with a prisoner in excess of 15 minutes," a Queensland Corrective Services statement said.

"This PPE will be provided by QCS. Officers working in Escort and Security Branch are required to wear a surgical mask and gloves when escorting prisoners."

The prisons locked down on Stage 4 restrictions include:

Palen Creek Correctional Centre

Numinbah Correctional Centre

Southern Queensland Correctional Centre

Borallon Correctional Centre

Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre

Brisbane Correctional Centre

Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre

Wolston Correctional Centre

Helana Jones Centre

Woodford Correctional Centre

Maryborough Correctional Centre

Capricornia Correctional Centre

Originally published as Everything you need to know about jail lockdown