‘Measures taken to prevent coronavirus spread in Punjab jails’

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Social Welfare Raja Basharat has said measures have been tightened to prevent coronavirus spread in all the prisons of the province and with screening of prisoners where necessary while PCR tests are also being arranged.

In a statement, the law minister that a plan had been devised to shift 3,500 prisoners from overcrowded jails to other jails for their maximum social distancing. He said that the total number of prisoners in Punjab at present was 45,535 and 25,708 of them, including 713 female inmates, are under-trial prisoners.

The minister said that the newly arriving prisoners were tested and kept in quarantine centres for 14 days. He said that the coronavirus counters had also been set up at the entrance gates of jails besides setting up corona wards in all the district jails of Punjab.

All the visitors are allowed to enter the jail premises after strict checking. Raja Basharat said that all medical staff in the jails had been given special training regarding coronavirus and has been provided with personal protection kits. He said that as soon as coronavirus had surfaced, prisoners' meetings and court appearances were banned. He said that staff on duty in prisons was not allowed to go out of the premises. No prisoners are allowed to go from one barrack and gatherings are prohibited. He said prison staff and detainees had also been informed of coronavirus preventive measures in accordance with World Health Organization guidelines.