6 July 2020: Banke-based prison has been sealed after 7 inmates were found to have contracted the coronavirus. According to Devendra Shrestha, a jailor, swabs of 21 prisoners were collected, out of which, 7 of the inmates tested positive for COVID-19.
Similarly, 6 police personnel tested positive for the virus from the ward police office (Nepalgunj). Following the surge in the infection, the ward police office has been sealed. Similarly, police personnel from the Aprea Police Office, Kohalpur office also tested positive.
Jailor, Shrestha informed that the situation inside the prison is under control. The infected group is asymptomatic and has been sent to Sushil Koirala Prakhar Hospital in Khajura for treatment. Regarding the safety concerns of other inmates and staff in the facility, Shrestha shared that the prison has maintained and followed strict measures in coordination with the Chief District Officer (CDO), where visits from outsiders or family members have been temporarily suspended. The administration assurer that it has been following necessary health precautions to prevent the transmission of the virus to the staff and inmates, those needing medical assistance are rushed to the hospitals, and the sampling swab testing of the detainees is carried out in conformity with Supreme Court’s order. Nonetheless, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test of all the inmates and staff remains impending.
Despite the total holding capacity of 350 inmates, 792 (45 females, 745 males, and 2 dependent children) inmates remain confined in the prison.
