48 prisoners at Mitrovica's Pre- Hamil Centre to be tested for coronary

Forty-eight prisoners found at the Mitrovica Prosecution Centre will undergo testing whether or not they are infected with Coronavirus.

He has made it known in an interview for Online Economy, Rasim Selmani, deputy director general of the Kosovo Correcting Service. According to him, 32 people have been tested so far and the current IKSP is also testing prisoners.

This came a day after it became known that two correctional officials from this center had been infected with Coronavirus after a 14 March holiday held in Zvecan.

The “so far has been tested by 32 people of the Mitrovica Centre for Pre-prisonment. Today, others including prisoners are being tested. That's why arrangements have been made for today to test all prisoners found at the Mitrovica Para-burging Centre, which is 48 people. So the National Institute of Public Health is there today and will do their test”, he stressed.

Selmani stressed that the two correctional officials have been relieved of duty, are quarantined, and according to their information, their situation is stable.

It is true that we now have two corrective officials who are positive infected, they have attended a party that has been organised in Zvecan on March 14th. They've already been relieved of duties are quarantined and normally we're following the situation in that part. Based on the information we have their situation is good, it's stable so far, they're being treated and they're respecting medical guidelines”, Selmani indicated.

According to Selmani, in addition to the correctional officials in Mitrovica, two people from the High Security Prison have also been part of the Zvecan party. However, he says both people have proved negative.

Besides in Mitrovica we have also tested two staff of the High Security Prison who have been at the party on March 14th, and fortunately have resulted negative. They were at the same party that was organised in Zvecan”, Selmani told.

He says he has undertaken all measures in order not to spread Coronavirus.

Helloani says all spaces of corrective institutions, including common rooms and spaces, have been disinfected.

“Under the measures that we have undertaken jointly with the prison health department, all areas of corrective institutions, including prison rooms, common spaces and all external spaces of corrective institutions have been disinfected and I can say that hygiene is being kept extremely well through the correct institutions”.

Selmani shows that in the event of the Koronavirus pandemic, even in corrective institutions, they have made a special space where infected prisoners could be treated.

“We have undertaken all measures and we have our plans in case it can come to such a situation, but we always rely on recommendations that the health system in the country will provide for individual cases. However, we also have areas where we can put prisoners in case that is necessary. In each institution we have certain spaces that are identified where prisoners can be settled in case they can get to some Cornavirus” infection.

And we, with all the capacities we have, are convinced that even on the basis of the plans that we have designed to manage this situation well, we hope that this number will not increase, in general, in Kosovo and especially in prisons. However, we have also turned to other institutions for assistance in this case to the Ministry of Health and all other actsmen, Selmani stressed.

In addition to these cases in Mitrovica, Selmani suggests that in other centres the situation in general is good.

He said that in this respect, even prisoners who have been very cooperative have made a big contribution.

In general, the situation is good in other centers, thanks to the commitment of all of us, including the staff, but also the prisoners who have been extremely careful in maintaining purity and having been very cooperative in order to cope with this” situation.