High caution taken at Chitwan prison amidst increasing infection cases

Kathmandu - High alertness has been maintained at Chitwan prison following increasing COVID-19 cases in the district. As part of precaution, families and relatives are barred from meeting prisoners, said the prison chief Kamal Prasad Kafle. Import of essentials into the prison is allowed only after sanitizing them and prison staffs are not allowed into the office unless there is emergency work, he said.

Ailing prisoners are tested for the infection before they are sent to hospitals or other prisons. In case of other inmates suffering from general health problems, they are provided treatment and medication inside the prison. New inmates are PCR tested for the virus before entering the prison. Inmates taking medicines and suffering from communicable diseases are put in separate blocks. Likewise, those prisoners frequenting the court are put in quarantine facility.

Chief District Officer Narayan Prasad Bhattarai urged all for support and help in preventing and controlling infection. The prison has three times more inmates than capacity. Currently, it has 686 prisoners. As a result, there is lack of space for prisoners to follow COVID-19 health guidelines like maintaining social distancing.