Peter Maritzburg prisoner fears Covid-19: New Frame

Detention in a new prison in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, after four prisoners reported being positive for more than two Covid-19s, was partly due to overcrowding and lowness. There is no social distance due to lack of quality masks and hygienists. How many weeks ago.

The Department of Corrections refuted the inmates’ allegations. “The allegations are unfortunately far from the reality,” said spokeswoman Singabakho Nxumalo. “As the number of infected people increased with remediation services, the containment and treatment pillars of our disaster management response strategy were activated.”

Nxumalo says there is a medical team on site with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as goggles, gloves, masks and gowns. They are used when providing care services to distressed patients and when monitoring patients who may develop acute dyspnea.

But the prisoners disagree. In 2016, the house robbery’s 42-year-old prisoner’s prison time claimed to have been positive for four inmates after cleaning the ward’s bedroom. “They work as sweepers in these districts and they are fetched every morning and brought back in the afternoon,” he said. “One day Warder became ill and had a positive reaction to Covid-19. After that, all four of these cleaners in the E section were ill.”

The man claims that lack of testing and tracking at the facility can see more prisoners infected with the deadly virus. “The admins were also complaining that they weren’t tested by the government. No government person is testing or tracking it here.”

Four inmates with positive positive reactions were taken to the prison hospital. “I don’t even know if the place was clean before it was brought to the place. Nurses are afraid to treat prisoners, who also scare them out for stigma. They don’t even have the proper PPE. They were told to steam and exercise, and the virus would disappear.”

Fear and disturbt

The affected prisoners appear to be isolated at first glance, but prisoners say they don’t know how far the virus has spread. “We may have done something bad, such as committing a crime, but we are really afraid of Covid-19’s death. And what’s even more scary is cleaning things under the carpet here. The people don’t know because they like it.”

The ministry said on 22 June that there were 1 938 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including 76 correctional service personnel and 1 176 inmates. “Unfortunately, the department has registered at least 16 dead so far,” he said. In KwaZulu-Natal, 11 officials and 2 inmates tested positive and 9 recovered. No deaths were recorded.

He is worried about his 13-year-old son, who had recently had to return to school in a 12-year-old murder case at 33. The school resumed on June 8 after a two-month break. “I miss my family and my son. I’m worried about him. I had a heartache because he had to go back to school. If he got a virus at school, You can have a sleepless night just thinking about the possibility of never seeing him again.”

He fears his son’s life, but he says he is also at risk. “They come and sometimes spray our cells with jiku and water, and they gave us only one mask each. So when we need to wash it, we Must wait for it to dry.”

He says prisoners are forced to take cold showers and are overcrowded, so they are more likely to get Covid-19 during cleansing. “Twelve prisoners are taking showers at the same time, and there is no hygiene. Some prisoners do not take showers because the water is below freezing and they are more susceptible to viruses during the winter,” he said. Says.

The man admits that he is a criminal, but he says he also has a right to life. “What I did was wrong and I paid for it, but it does not deprive my human rights.”

Early release

Regarding the government’s decision to release approximately 19 thousand prisoners on early parole to alleviate prison overcrowding, a man said wrong prisoners would benefit from this measure to curb the spread of Covid-19. I’m getting.

“The prisoners they are releasing have committed minor crimes and they have not been properly rehabilitated like us. It happened that they went out and crimined again. I am [whereas] We have learned our lessons and know that we will never commit a crime again. “

Inmates say the release and re-arrest of former prisoners endangers the lives of other prisoners. “We spend all our lives at home, and if anyone is released and gets Covid-19, we’re all in trouble. There is already a case for Covid-19 and we do it too. I’m afraid I’m trying to get it, and if that happens, we’ll never see our family again.”

He says it’s unfair that visitors aren’t allowed. “Hygiene is important and prisons don’t provide toiletries such as toothbrushes or good soap. That’s why we rely on our families. If the visitor is allowed, a good mask or hand sanitizer. You could even prepare a drug,” he said.

“Meeting visitors also helps our mental health. Looking at familiar faces gives you the hope that things will work. It’s even important to date them.”

Too little, too late

According to a 35-year-old man who sentenced rape to life imprisonment, a mask was handed to detainees in mid-June last week, even though more than 90 days have passed since President Cyryl Ramaphosa announced the disaster situation. It was only done. “The masks are made of the same material that we use to make our sheets. The three fathers sentenced to 2015 saw no public distance and saw a public hygienist. I’ve never used it in prison.

He was complaining about the overcrowding of cells, which makes it difficult to practice the required physical distances. “We intend to be three prisoners in one cell, but seven. Three sleep in bed, four sleep in flour. It depends on who first arrived. Varies.”

He says, “The prisoners are lined up on top of each other when they line up for breakfast…the queue is so long that we are lined up for the government Sassa [South African Social Security Agency] Grant, and you know how bad they are. We don’t even take our temperature [our hands] Disinfected in those queues. We only met sanitary when you were called to a civil servant’s office and saw them at their desk. “

Durban guys say it’s hard to be imprisoned. “In the real world, you can complain when you care about something. Here you will be a bad person if you frankly say.” The prisoners who have filed with are being sacrificed by being left alone, “said the guards know they are always in control,” he says.

Another prisoner said, “The prisoner’s rights do not exist in prison,” and some prisoners are treated worse than others. “Most prisoners wearing proper protective clothing are people working as sweepers. They have gloves and their masks are different from ours.

“Even if the guards care about us, it’s a system that’s corrupt. As we say, some prisoners sit alone, but they’re not sick either. So we only wear masks in front of the ward, it is only to protect and respect them.

The two fathers have been working for 14 years in illegal murder, hoping the Minister of Justice and the Director of Corrections, Ronald Lamora, visit a new prison to confirm their lack of compliance with Covid-19 regulations. “They need to come and see for themselves what’s going on.”

Adjustment of measures

Nxumalo says the orthodontic center where the case has been reported is disinfected. “This is to prevent contamination of surfaces and inanimate objects. [The department] We are currently splitting out-of-cell time for food distribution. This means splitting units or wings to avoid concentrating prisoners and officials in open spaces. This measure does not abolish the open-air access required for prisoners. “

He says visitors will not be allowed for the foreseeable future, and the department advises prisons to increase the number of items inmates can purchase from the tack shop. Also, the amount of toiletries provided to prisoners is increasing.

Nxumalo says more than 600 professional health workers are hired to care for the sick. However, he finds prisoners vulnerable to the entry and exit of prisons and other correctional service personnel in jail. “In addition to screening, staff attending meetings and moving from place of residence to work are being watched,” he says.