No Covid distancing in crammed prison worries inmates, kin

Nagpur: It’s likely to rain, as two women continue to wait at the pavement near Central Jail trying to get a view of the premises inside. Husband of one of them, and the other’s father are inside, arrested in different cases.
“We have all facilities like timely food, but corona has left all the inmates scared and the undertrials want to get out at the earliest,” said a youth accompanying them. He was out on bail a few days ago, and was witness to the chain of events that followed after one of the inmates was detected Covid positive. The women too expressed concern about their relatives’ well-being in the current scenario.
TOI caught up with the former inmate outside the jail, as he narrated his experiences inside. “It all began with a robbery accused being detected corona positive,” he says.
That day a team of doctors descended into our barrack and took swabs from our nose and throat. After that one person was found to be positive. He was taken away. His accomplices — 10 of them — were also separated. Some more inmates were also quarantined later, he said. A batch of inmates has been kept separately within the jail premises, he said.
“Now, they have stopped the meetings with relatives too which is adding to their worries,” he said.
“There was no Covid distancing in jail, till the cases were detected. The cells are crammed and there is hardly any distance between the beds. The inmates have their meals in close proximity and even share food from each other’s plate,” said the former inmate.
“Again people rub against each other in the area where plates are washed, and the common bathrooms and toilets add to the chances of infection spread,” he said.
The inmates are, however, helping each other. Those out are bringing the bail orders from court themselves and presenting it to jail authorities so that others are released, he said, highlighting the rising brotherhood among the inmates amid the Covid times.