15-bed quarantine set up in Chitwan jail

A 15-bed quarantine facility has been set up inside Chitwan jail to prevent the possible outbreak of COVID-19 within and from this prison.

The move was made after 11 prisoners were brought to the already overcrowded prison here from Nawalpur district. Since Nawalpur district does not have any prison, they were brought here after the District Court Nawalpur convicted them, according to Chitwan jail.

Chitwan jail chief Kamal Prasad Kafle said, “We have received 11 new inmates from Nawalpur. They were brought here due to special circumstances.”

According to Kafle, the inmates in Chitwan jail were very apprehensive about COVID-19 infection due to the arrival of new inmates in the jail which is overcrowded with the prisoners.

“The jail capacity here is limited and we can’t not accommodate more inmates. So we have requested the District Court in Nawalpur not to send any inmates,” said Kafle.

Spacious only for 255, the jail currently has 668 male prisoners. There are 55 female prisoners and 3 babies accompanying their mothers in the jail which only has capacity to accommodate 25 female prisoners.

The jail administration has currently banned the visitors’ entry. It is also to comply with the government-enforced lockdown to contain the outbreak of the deadly infection.