Prisoners coming after parole to be tested

Thiruvananthapuram: To ensure that there is no spread of Covid-19 in prisons, health department has decided to conduct mandatory tests on inmates returning to prisons after parole and new prisoners. For this, it has decided to constitute medical teams on call for all major jails in state. Medical team from nearby hospitals will be in charge of district jails to test the samples of prisoners.
Already, as per DGP (prisons) Rishi Raj Singh’s order, isolation cells have been set up in all prisons. He had asked to shift prisoners with symptoms of fever and cough to these cells.
As per the advisory from the department, RT-PCR tests will be conducted on all asymptomatic prisoners brought to jail after parole. Pool testing was also suggested. All prisoners who are coming after parole will be kept in a single separate cell till test results are obtained.
If a prisoner coming after parole has influenza-like illness then RT-PCR test will be done and he will be isolated in a single cell. This will be done in case of new prisoner.
However, the department advised that asymptomatic prisoner, who is on parole with epidemiological link (any Covid suspect) in the past two weeks, must be quarantined for 14 days. Any symptomatic prisoner with such link will have to be tested and put in institutional quarantine for 14 days.
Also, nobody should use bathrooms used by prisoners kept in isolation. “If there are limitations, then after every use of bathroom, the user must clean it,” said the advisory.
The common dining area should not be used by the prisoners under quarantine and authorities should give them separate vessels and utensils. Prison authorities should communicate immediately with the local health authority if a prisoner develops fever-cough symptoms or respiratory problems. The local PHC or DISHA helpline can be contacted for immediate help.
Care takers will be responsible for daily monitoring of inmates. They should also take all kinds of precautions. The department also wanted restrictions on prison visitors, including family. No senior citizens or people with comorbidity should be allowed to meet inmates.