The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Israel and occupied territories is ready to provide all the necessary assistance to detention facilities in the region during the COVID-19 pandemic, Anastasiya Isyuk, the mission's head of communications, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2020) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Israel and occupied territories is ready to provide all the necessary assistance to detention facilities in the region during the COVID-19 pandemic, Anastasiya Isyuk, the mission's head of communications, told Sputnik.
Countries across the world are now taking measures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading through the prison population, fearing that the confined communities could turn into major hotbeds of infection. In mid-March, Israel joined several other countries in suspending family and lawyer visits for inmates for one month.
"The ICRC is in close contact with the detaining authorities in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Infectious diseases pose a huge challenge to detaining authorities," Isyuk said, noting that they still had to provide care to the detainees despite potential difficulties.
The Red Cross� is ready to provide support to the detaining authorities if necessary, the spokeswoman said.
"We are in discussions with the detention authorities about ensuring that alternative family contact mechanisms are in place and that updated and accurate information is publicly available," the ICRC representative added.
ICRC delegates, Isyuk went on, have been exempted from the ban, so the organization members will continue visiting detention facilities in Israel, as well as the West Bank and Gaza. In total, the Red Cross maintains contact with prison authorities in over 80 countries, she added.
As of Thursday, Israel has confirmed over 6,200 coronavirus cases, including 33 deaths. Palestine, in turn, has updated its case count to 155, including one fatality.
