A stitch in time:Luksar jail gets inmates to make masks for coronavirus safety

In the wake of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, inmates at Gautam Budh Nagar’s district jail in Luksar have been engaged to make masks which can be used

In the wake of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, inmates at Gautam Budh Nagar’s district jail in Luksar have been engaged to make masks which can be used a preventive measure against the disease. The jail administration said currently 10 inmates are making masks which are being used by the jail officials and inmates at the facility.

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The officials said the inmates made at least 500 masks in the last two-three days and the jail administration aim’s at providing the masks to the general public free of cost in the future.

Superintendent, Luksar jail, Vipin Kumar Mishra said the jail administration started the initiative as a precautionary measure to safeguard the inmates, visitors and officials.

“Inside the jail, we provide training to the inmates for stitching clothes. Since there is an outbreak of Covid-19, the jail administration encouraged inmates to make masks. We had also received information masks are not easily available in the market or are being sold at inflated prices. Some instances of hoarding masks have also surfaced. In such circumstances, we aim to engage more inmates and make masks which can be sold for free,” he said.

He said for making the first batch of masks, the jail administration got cloth from a medical store. Mishra said if the district administration or a non-government organisation (NGO) collaborates with them and provides them more cloth, more masks can be stitched at the jail which can be distributed to the public for free.

The Luksar jail, spread over 90 acre, was inaugurated in April 2014. The jail has 55 women inmates and 2,800 male inmates. The jail has about 100 barracks equipped with CCTV cameras.

Mishra said the jail also runs a community radio which broadcasts news and advisories time to time for the inmates. “We sometimes call doctors and experts and hold sessions on safety and well-being. Some inmates are also selected to play radio jockey and make announcements about advisories. The jail administration is taking care of the inmates,” he said. The jail also has an in-house 80-bed hospital where inmates are offered medical treatment when needed.

Anoop Khanna, president, district chemists association, said there is a huge gap in demand and supply of masks and hand sanitisers in Gautam Budh Nagar.

“There are 2,500 chemists who are part of our association. We have directed them to sell the masks at MRPs. We also record the phone numbers of shopkeepers to ensure they do not hoard masks and hand sanitisers,” he said.

Khanna said there have been some instances masks were sold at inflated rates. “People are advised to buy masks from authorised shops and collect receipt for the purchase,” Khanna said.