Though the entire Rajshahi district including Rajshahi City Corporation area remains infested with the Corona virus, residents of Rajshahi Central Jail are yet free from any infestation of the virus.
RCJ sources informed, the rooms of the jail always remain over-crowded with the convicts and the under trial convicts. On an average 3,000 jail mates stay inside the jail daily. On Tuesday (Aug-24) the total number of convicts and the under trial convicts in the jail was 2,933. None of them are infected with Corona virus.
Subrata Kumar Bala, Senior Superintendent of RCJ informed, the alertness of the jail staff and maintaining of health rules strictly inside the jail have kept the jail free from Corona virus infection. He said while a new convict arrives at the jail, his old mask is removed at the jail gate and a new mask is given to wear. They are said to wash their hands, legs, heads and mouth with soap-water at the gate and then they are taken inside the jail gate.
The new convict is then taken to the Quarantine ward. There are four quarantine wards in the jail. The new convicts remain at the quarantine war for a 14-day period. Then they are transferred to the General Ward.
In the Quarantine, a new convict is taken for a bath. His dresses are washed properly and even new clothes are supplied those convicts who do not have enough clothes with them. As a result of such measure, the risk of Corona infection is reduced.
Moreover, the Senior Jail Superintendent said that meeting with the relatives of the convicts at the jail gate now kept suspended. Rather the convicts can talk to their relatives and dear and near ones over mobile phones after a period of time regularly. The Jail Guards and the Officials also remain alert to keep the convicts free from Corona virus infection.
He added,' The Jail guards strictly follow the health guide lines during assigning of their duties. When they went outside the jail, they use masks and use sanitizer on their hands. If symptom of Corona is found with any Guard on duty, he is not allowed to enter inside the jail. He is only allowed to join his duty when his corona test result is found negative. For adopting such strict measures, corona has failed to enter into Rajshahi Central Jail'.
He further said, one of the under treatment convicts at the hospital was tested Corona positive. The convict had been under treatment at the Prison Cell of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital one month ago where he was infected with Corona virus.
Superintendent Subrata Kumar Bala further mentioned, “If any convict is suffering from fever, he is taken to the isolation ward immediately. His samples are tested and the result was found negative.
This shows that the convict was suffering from fever for other reasons, not for Corona”. He thinks, keeping the jail free from Corona, even during the spread of Delta variant, is a success of the jail authorities.
It is learnt, the first Corona patient was detected in Rajshahi on May-5 last year (2020).
Till then a total of 26,824 Corona patients have been detected in Rajshahi till last Monday. Of them 25,476 were cured and 289 died. At present, the infection rate in Corona virus is declining and there are available beds at the Corona ward of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital as against the patients admitted there.
