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TODAY • 6:00 AM
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An inmate of the Josefstadt Prison (JA) raises the alarm. In a letter to the APA, the man reports that the security measures in place in prisons to protect against the coronavirus would not work. “The measures that are prescribed are not followed,” the prisoner writes. He anticipates numerous SARS-CoV-2 infections in the country’s largest prison.
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The inmate (name, age and reason for detention are known to the APA, but are not mentioned to protect the man, note) assumes that “because of the circumstances, neither I nor my fellow inmates will be spared the virus”. It is “just a matter of time, and when the time comes, around 1,000 people will be infected at once,” says the letter dated March 30, which was delivered on Friday.
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“Prisoners, judicial guards and medical personnel do not wear gloves and protective masks, the prescribed minimum distance (1 meter) is not observed”, the man describes the current conditions of detention in the Josefstadt prison. The food and medication would be “unprotected people, just like before”. And further: “Workers go and come as groups without protection.” The prisoner questions the meaningfulness of the visit ban for relatives ordered by the Ministry of Justice or the Directorate General for Prison, “because anyone who has already visited someone knows that the visitors are behind glass and Are wooden panels and are equipped with a telephone receiver ”. A transmission of the virus is therefore excluded.
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At the beginning of the week, APA judiciary officials had described that, in view of further restrictions in everyday prison life – most recently, calls were limited to ten minutes a day, walking and staying in the corridors were prohibited and reciprocal cell visits were strictly prohibited – the law enforcement officers said. A tense, explosive atmosphere was especially reported from JA Josefstadt.
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The Ministry of Justice countered this on Thursday, however, “not understandable”. In the JA Josefstadt there is a “positive mood”, which is marked by motivation and the efforts of all employees to help more together, it said in a statement sent to the APA. The steps taken in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 would “largely be perceived as transparent and appropriate measures”.
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