Karimnagar: Jailors prioritise prisoners' safety as pandemic spreads its wings

Karimnagar: Preventive steps have been taken to protect the health of prisoners in the Karimnagar district central jail, said Jail Superintendent Sammaiah, here, on Saturday.

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, Mulakath facility had also been stopped from the month of March on temporary basis and the new prisoners are being taken for a corona test before shifting them into the jail and if any prisoner is tested positive they will be shifted to the government hospital for treatment, he informed.

The Superintendent further informed that the officials who are coming for inspection of the jail are asked to sanitise their hands, wear face masks and gloves before entering the jail.

However, new prisoners are kept in a special cell for a period of 14 days and other 14 days they are kept in the jail hospital. After the completion of 28 days if they are tested negative then they are taken into the barrack with old prisoners.

Every barrack including women jail is sanitised weekly twice with sodium hypochlorite solution. Arrangements were also made for washing hands thoroughly before their meals. Every morning along with the tea, the prisoners are served with hot water mixed with turmeric along with providing warm water for drinking purposes and conducting regular health check-up. If anyone is found having corona symptoms they are shifted to a separate barrack, he added.

Sammaiah informed that, two times in a week, eggs are provided in the meals along with chicken on every Sunday. Every prisoner is provided with two face masks and one soap. As Mulakath programme is stopped temporarily, the prisoners are allowed to speak to their near and dear ones four times in a week on telephone.

A separate account has been opened for depositing money on the names of the prisoners. If any of their relatives want to deposit the money, they must pay it through Google pay, he said adding that keeping the widespread coronavirus in view, the services of the District Legal Cell Authority were temporarily stopped.

To prevent the spread of coronavirus and to keep the prisoners safe from its attack, jailors Sanjeev Reddy, Venkateshwara Swamy, deputy jailors Sudhakar Reddy, Ramesh Naik and Bala Krishna along with other jail staff have been taking special care and necessary preventive measures in the district central jail, he added.