<p>Days after prisoners in Indore Jail in Madhya Pradesh tested positive for <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank">COVID-19</a>, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued guidelines to jails across the country on how to deal with inmates, which includes checking them for symptoms for virus infection and foreign travel history.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-live-news-updates-total-COVID-19-cases-deaths-India-may-2-lockdown-mumbai-bengaluru-delhi-ahmedabad-kolkata-maharashtra-karnataka-red-orange-zone-832551.html" target="_blank">For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here</a></strong></p>.<p>Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote to state Chief Secretaries and Directors General of prisons, saying people in prisons and other places of detention, living in a closed and crowded environment, are likely to be more vulnerable to the pandemic.</p>.<p>"Moreover, experience shows that prisons, jails and similar settings where people gather in close proximity may act as a source of infection and spread of infectious diseases within and beyond prisons. Any control strategy for COVID-19 in the community which does not encompass the prison context will not be sustainable,” Bhalla said.</p>.<p>Around two dozen prisoners and at least two jail staff were detected with COVID-19 in the past two weeks in Indore Central Jail, including 19 who tested positive for the virus infection on April 28.</p>.<p>Bhalla said information should be collected from arrested and convicted people on any history of fever, cough or shortness of breath as well as recent travel history to affected areas and possible contact with confirmed cases in the past 14 days.</p>.<p>He said the earlier direction to "limit and restrict" visits to prisons should be strictly implemented and they could explore the possibilities of allowing meetings via video link between prisoners and their families.</p>.<p>Custodial and detention staff should work together with healthcare teams in prisons and other places of detention to enable identification of suspected cases among prisoners. Isolation of such people and a subsequent clinical assessment is also necessary, he said.</p>.<p>"Prevention of import of COVID-19 into prisons and other places of detention is an essential element in avoiding or minimising the occurrence of infection and serious outbreaks in these settings and beyond," he said.</p>.<p>Thermal screening should be conducted at the point of entry into jail. Instructions have also been given to prisons to stop group activities of inmates barring essential ones after ensuring social distancing.</p>.<p>While jail staff who have any symptoms should not be allowed entry into jails, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued along with the letter said that those detainees in jails with foreign travel history should be lodged in a separate building.</p>
<p>Days after prisoners in Indore Jail in Madhya Pradesh tested positive for <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank">COVID-19</a>, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued guidelines to jails across the country on how to deal with inmates, which includes checking them for symptoms for virus infection and foreign travel history.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-live-news-updates-total-COVID-19-cases-deaths-India-may-2-lockdown-mumbai-bengaluru-delhi-ahmedabad-kolkata-maharashtra-karnataka-red-orange-zone-832551.html" target="_blank">For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here</a></strong></p>.<p>Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote to state Chief Secretaries and Directors General of prisons, saying people in prisons and other places of detention, living in a closed and crowded environment, are likely to be more vulnerable to the pandemic.</p>.<p>"Moreover, experience shows that prisons, jails and similar settings where people gather in close proximity may act as a source of infection and spread of infectious diseases within and beyond prisons. Any control strategy for COVID-19 in the community which does not encompass the prison context will not be sustainable,” Bhalla said.</p>.<p>Around two dozen prisoners and at least two jail staff were detected with COVID-19 in the past two weeks in Indore Central Jail, including 19 who tested positive for the virus infection on April 28.</p>.<p>Bhalla said information should be collected from arrested and convicted people on any history of fever, cough or shortness of breath as well as recent travel history to affected areas and possible contact with confirmed cases in the past 14 days.</p>.<p>He said the earlier direction to "limit and restrict" visits to prisons should be strictly implemented and they could explore the possibilities of allowing meetings via video link between prisoners and their families.</p>.<p>Custodial and detention staff should work together with healthcare teams in prisons and other places of detention to enable identification of suspected cases among prisoners. Isolation of such people and a subsequent clinical assessment is also necessary, he said.</p>.<p>"Prevention of import of COVID-19 into prisons and other places of detention is an essential element in avoiding or minimising the occurrence of infection and serious outbreaks in these settings and beyond," he said.</p>.<p>Thermal screening should be conducted at the point of entry into jail. Instructions have also been given to prisons to stop group activities of inmates barring essential ones after ensuring social distancing.</p>.<p>While jail staff who have any symptoms should not be allowed entry into jails, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued along with the letter said that those detainees in jails with foreign travel history should be lodged in a separate building.</p>