Prevent COVID-19 Clusters, New Prisoners Will Be Swab Antigen Before Entering Prison

The Director General of Corrections anticipates prevention by ordering all Correctional Units to tighten procedures/ Photo: IST.

JAKARTA - As COVID-19 cases increase in early 2022, the Director General of Corrections takes precautionary measures by ordering all Correctional Units to tighten health protocols again.

Moreover, in the current pandemic, the Correctional Center must be careful in accepting the shipment of new prisoners who have A3 (inkrah) status from the District Court so as not to cause clusters.

"If anyone from the Cipinang Detention Center refuses new prisoners, because there is a selection. That is, an antigen swab is carried out, those (new prisoners) who are reactive (positive) for COVID-19 will be rejected. But if they are non-reactive, we accept," said the Head of the Office. DKI Jakarta Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham) Region (Kakanwil) Ibnu Chuldun when confirmed by VOI, Wednesday 9 February.

New prisoners who enter the Cipinang Rutan will be placed in an isolation room for 14 days. Likewise in detention centers and other prisons in DKI Jakarta.

"It will be monitored by officers so that there is no direct contact with other Correctional inmates," he said.

The DKI Jakarta Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights said that it had coordinated with the DKI Jakarta Head of Office regarding its readiness to create a Special Isolation Block at the Cipinang Detention Center, East Jakarta, for new detainees.

"We have prepared a special block for the isolation of inmates with a capacity of 120 people at the Cipinang Detention Center. We hope that the DKI Kajati and its ranks can dispatch (convicts) in the same day, so that it is easier for us to arrange the 14-day isolation schedule," he said.

Later, the new prisoners will be subjected to an antigen swab test first. After being declared non-reactive, they will go through a body cleansing process (showering), health checks and others. Then they will be placed in the Isolation Block in the Cipinang Detention Center which has been prepared.

While Plt. DKI Jakarta High Prosecutor's Office Bambang said that the Cipinang Prison, Central Jakarta Detention Center and Pondok Bambu Detention Center were ready to accept prisoners.

"Please follow up on this agreement today," he said