South Kalimantan's 9,011 prisoners free of COVID-19

Head of the South Kalimantan Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham) Agus Toyib. (ANTARA/Firman)

Of eight prison (lapas) and six detention centers (rutan) in South Kalimantan there has been no report of the transmission of COVID-19, both inmates, and officers,

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - As many as 9,011 inmates spread across several correctional institutions in South Kalimantan were confirmed to be free of COVID-19.

"Of eight prison (lapas) and six detention centers (rutan) in South Kalimantan there has been no report of the transmission of COVID-19, both inmates, and officers," said Head of the South Kalimantan Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham) Agus Toyib in Banjarmasin, Tuesday.

Strict anticipation is carried out, one of which is by ensuring the duty officers are sterile when enter. "The virus must be brought from outside. So, officers must orderly comply with health protocol outside and inside the prison," said Agus.

During the pandemic, visiting hours are eliminated. However, the prison authorities facilitate the prisoners'families to be able to communicate online by means of video phone from a number of computers provided alternately.

Likewise, the trial is only online, where the defendant remains at the prison or detention center following the trial process without having to go to court.

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"Now, prisons and detention centers only accept new prisoners whose cases have entered the trial or have been convicted. They must be of COVID-19 and occupy special cells for quarantine for two weeks before gathering with other inmates," he said.

Meanwhile, the 9,011 inmates who inhabit 14 prodeo hotels in South Kalimantan are known to have exceeded the capacity, which should only be filled with 3,574 people or over capacity up to 152 percent.

Teluk Dalam Prison in Banjarmasin is the most densely or the highest overcapacity, namely 570 percent with 2,454 inmates from the capacity of only 366 people. In fact, the prison is included in the top five most densely populated in Indonesia.

There it is considered to be vulnerable if COVID-19 spread in prisons and detention centers considering that health protocol, such as keeping physical distance, cannot be applied with such a density in each cell or block of detention.
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