Tackling the deadly nexus between overcrowded prisons and Covid-19

Tough fight: Alor Setar Prison staff took early measures to protect against Covid-19, but their worst fears were realised.

WHEN news of the novel coronavirus first emerged from Wuhan, China in January this year, Alor Setar Prison placed hand sanitisers at the main entrance.

“Our staff wore masks and practised social distancing, ” a warden there says. Their prison director briefed staff about crucial standard operating procedures (SOP). The 127-year-old prison is crammed with some 1,800 inmates – about double its capacity of 900 to 1,000.