Monrovia Central Prison Gets Covid-19 Donations
Sachedva and his team along with Prison Authority in front of the sample of the donated items.
Indian businessman Upjit Singh Sachdeva has donated a batch of coronavirus preventive materials to authorities of Monrovia Central Prison.
The donations, which includes 1,000 face masks, hundreds of liters of disinfectant/sanitizer, detergents, thermometers, handwashing buckets, chlorine, and thermometers.
They were made available following a request from the prison administrations who are in need of these materials to prevent transmission, given how particularly vulnerable the prison environment is during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The items donated, many more of which are to come, according to Mr. Sachdeva, are geared towards helping the prison administrators in playing their role in protecting inmates since they are vulnerable, and at a higher risk right now, due to the congested condition of the prison.
Mr. Sachedeva further stated that he is working with the prison administration to concentrate efforts on preventing the spread of the coronavirus throughout the system.
“During times of uncertainty, prevention is the most effective method in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in prisons. The prison, setting facilitates the exponential spread of infectious diseases,” noted Mr. Sachdeva, alias Jeety. “The partnership is very important to keep COVID-19 out of the prison knowing that it would be devastating if COVID-19 got inside our prisons.”
He added that prisoners are among the most vulnerable to disease outbreaks, and COVID-19 is a real threat to prison health.
“Thus the prison authorities decided to request for assistance that are vital in helping to prevent the virus from entering a prison,” Mr. Sachdeva explained.
The face masks donated will be shared with all the prison inmates, at the same time, they will have enough hand sanitizer to keep their hands clean, and thermometers for regular check up.
The supplies of handwashing buckets along with detergents will assist in improving the overall sanitary conditions of the prison, which are vital in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
In a remark, Prison Superintendent Varney Lake said although COVID-19 does not discriminate against anyone, prisoners are one of the most vulnerable groups of people who need urgent attention.
According to him, before Jeety’s kind gesture, they were running on a limited quantity of buckets, chlorine, Clorox, tide soap, and other hygienic materials at the facility.
“It would be devastating if COVID-19 got inside our prisons. The impact of the unrelenting COVID-19 virus is still unfolding,” Mr. Lake said. “The items donated here today are crucial in achieving the basic hygiene standards needed to ward off the pandemic.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Sachedeva has fed inmates and at-risk persons who live in various ghettos across Monrovia.
The feeding, which coincides with the donation at the Monrovia Central Prison, saw 4,200 hot meals served along with juice and cake to the approximately 1,300 prisoners and youth living in ghettos.
The gesture by Mr. Jeety, which usually falls around July 26, Liberia Independence Day.