51 Corrupt Inmates In Sukamiskin Prison Positive For COVID, Including The Former Mayor Of Bandung, Dada Rosada

Illustration-Head of Riau's Ministry of Law and Human Rights Regional Office, Ibnu Chuldun wearing complete personal protective equipment while inspecting Class IIA Women's Prison in Pekanbaru (photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - A total of 51 corruption convicts at the Sukamiskin Penitentiary (Lapas), Bandung, West Java were exposed to COVID-19.

Some of the prisoners included former Ministry of Home Affairs official, Dudy Jocom; former Member of the DPR from the Golkar faction, Budi Supriyanto; former Mayor of Bandung Dada Rosada, former Regent of Cirebon, Sunjaya Purwadisastra; and the former Head of Sukamiskin, Wahid Husein.

This was confirmed by the Head of Public Relations and Protocol of the Directorate General of Corrections, Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Ditjenpas Kemkumham) Rika Aprianti.

"460 people have been swab done and the result is that 51 assisted residents have been confirmed positive," Rika said when confirmed, Sunday, February 7.

Of the total positive cases, 47 of them underwent independent isolation in special blocks and received supervision from the medical team from the Sukamiskin Prison itself, the West Java Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and the Health Office.

Meanwhile, there are four assisted residents who experience severe symptoms. They are currently being treated at a COVID-19 referral hospital.

"The main concern is how to ensure that these positive assisted residents and officers are treated and recovered quickly and precisely and of course coordination with medical authorities in prisons and regional offices and local health offices," said Rika.

Furthermore, Rika said that the Ministry of Law and Human Rights Directorate General had implemented health protocols since the beginning of the pandemic. Since March 2020, all visits to prisoners in prisons have been closed and replaced online.

Unfortunately, the transmission of COVID-19 is inevitable. "The handling of detention centers and prisons does need special handling, even though we have been closely guarded like that we cannot avoid it, for example mobile officers who go back and forth to detention centers or other law enforcement officers who have to go back and forth between remand centers," he explained.

"We must be ready if the virus enters the detention environment. More importantly, how to treat it if there are officers and assisted residents who are confirmed positive for COVID-19," he added.