Jails are the safest in times of virus: 1443 prisoners vaccinated in Telangana

Hyderabad: Telangana Director General of Police (Prisons), Rajiv Trivedi has told the High Court that 1,443 prisoners lodged in different jails have been vaccinated till May 15, 2021.

Of the total, 551 prisoners are 45 years and above, and 892 others are in the age group of 18 to 44. And, of the total of 1093 prisoners above 45 years, 551 have been vaccinated with the first dose and 178 with the second dose. 364 prisoners are yet to be vaccinated with the second dose.

Around 6592 prisoners in the age group of 18 to 44 years, around 892 have received the first dose and 288 the second dose. 5412 prisoners have yet to be vaccinated.

A bench of Chief Justice (CJ) Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy was hearing the case related to the status of COVID in the state. It has also been stated that the Prisons Department has taken several measures to prevent the COVID infection which includes supplying sufficient face masks, sanitizers, handwash soap liquid, etc. to inmates and staff.

Other measures include spraying sodium hypochlorite within and around the prison premises and vulnerable places, creation of a task force to enforce individual hygiene and cleanliness in and around the barracks, treating old, aged/ailing inmates, placing suspected/asymptomatic inmates in appropriate isolation barracks in the jail hospitals and screening of all new inmates and isolating them for two weeks and facilitating telephone calls/video conferencing to the inmates to interact with their family.

The court observed that it is deemed appropriate to direct DGP Prisons to ensure that the jail staff and all those, who are permitted entry into the jail premises/barracks, are regularly tested for COVID-I9 infection as they could be carriers.

"Prison hospitals shall regularly stock up necessary medicines and life-saving drugs, oxygen cylinders, etc. that may be required in an emergency for treating inmates infected with the COVID," said the court.