Mathura jail inmates make masks to curb coronavirus threat

Lucknow: Stepping up its efforts to check the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19), the prisons department plans to distribute over 500 masks manufactured by inmates of Mathura jail among prisoners across the state.
The move comes after 12 persons in the state prisons department tested positive for Covid-19. The masks were manufactured by the inmates on Saturday.
Director general of prisons Anand Kumar said 55 of the 71 jails in state have the facility to manufacture masks designed as per recommendations of government doctors.
“We have asked for in-house trainers to manufacture masks with the available resources. If there is a shortage of raw materials, we will arrange for more from markets,” said Kumar. He also said that while wearing a mask isn’t a sure shot way to curb a contagion, but it is instrumental in maintaining hygiene.
“In the remaining 16 prisons which do not have the required manufacturing set-up, we have asked jailers to arrange for masks from outside and then distribute it among prisoners,” Kumar added.
“We have also directed jail wardens to organise sensitisation drives in prisons to spread awareness about Covid-19 and send daily updates to the headquarters. There are adequate arrangements to shift prisoners with prolonged illness to district hospitals.”
District prisons in Barabanki, Ghaziabad, Firozabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar also started manufacturing masks on Saturday.
Last week, jailors in 71 operations prisons were directed to install hand sanitiser dispensers on premises and distribute additional soaps among inmates. They were also asked to ensure that they maintain a distance of at least a metre while interacting. UP jails have more than 1.03 lakh prisoners.