Coronavirus: Chittagong prisoners make face masks

Inmates in the Chittagong Central Jail have made face masks as a precaution measure amid the outbreak of Covid-19.

Some 10 prisoners, who had worked in tailoring shops, made as many as 4,000 masks just in a week, said Senior Jail Superintendent Md Kamal Hossain. 

“However, the production has been suspended due lack of raw material amid the countrywide shutdown,” he told Dhaka Tribune.

The masks were distributed among the staff for free while prisoners will can buy them at Tk 15 from their cash, added the prison official.  

Meanwhile, the prison authorities have set telephone booths for prisoners to get in touch with their families. Inmates are allowed a call once a week.

The move came after the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in Bangladesh, said a senior prisons official.

“Temporary booths have already been set up in the prisons across Bangladesh. Inmates can now talk to their families for five minutes once a week. It will help them to ease their tensions amid the growing concern of a coronavirus outbreak,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of prisons, Chittagong Division AKM Fazlul Huq said.

The Chittagong prison houses around 7,000 inmates, including convicts and prisoners facing trial, against its capacity of 1,853.