MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2020) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is in close contact with four detention facilities in Afghanistan to help them prevent the coronavirus diesease from spreading into their prison populations, the public relations adviser for the ICRC Asia-Pacific told Sputnik on Monday.
As of Monday, Afghanistan has confirmed a total of 367 cases, including seven fatalities. With countries across the globe battling the pandemic, the ICRC and other NGOs are voicing particular concern about war-hit countries and the risk of an uncontrollable spread of the virus their prisons and refugee camps face.
"We keep working to support health services in detention ... We work with the Afghan prison authorities and Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in four prisons with thousands of detainees, namely Pul-i-Charki Prison, Herat Provincial Prison, Sarpoza Provincial Prison in Kandahar and the Parwan Detention Facility, Bagram," Pawel Krzysiek said.
According to Krzysiek, the ICRC seeks to raise COVID-19 awareness, provides informational materials and hygiene training to prisoners and staff, establishes additional hand-washing areas at the facilities, and helps with screening.
It has also donated masks, gloves and thermometers to the Herat Provincial Prison, he went on.
In addition, the Red Cross has fully adapted its work in other areas to effectively respond to the epidemic and continues its water and sanitation services.
"Training community water committee members in hand pump repair and maintenance continues as well as distribution of the hand pump repair spare parts to ensure access to water in respective communities is not interrupted," Krzysiek said.
The ICRC, he added, ensures that all preventive and hygiene measures are taken by contractors to avert the spread of COVID-19.
