KATHMANDU: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has submitted 13-point recommendations to the government for the implementation in regard to jail reform meant for keeping jailbirds and inmates safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Issuing a press statement today, NHRC Secretary Bed Prasad Bhattarai said that the government has been recommended for the implementation of those recommendations by issuing integrated guidelines for the preparedness and recovery tasks for the jail reform.

Prior to this, the NHRC had monitored the prison houses in 28 districts of all seven provinces to take stock of the coronavirus infection there. The NHRC’s recommendations have come on the basis of its field reports.

In the recommendation list, the NHRC has suggested that budget should be availed for the purchase of face masks, sanitizer, gloves, face shield, soap, thermometer, PPE, and other health supplies considering the possible transmission of the virus among the inmates, security personnel and officials in the jails.

Similarly, the NHRC has recommended for maintaining physical distancing by developing emergency physical infrastructures in the prison house, as maintaining such health protocol was unlikely in the present situation for lack of sufficient budget.