ICRC makes donation to FCS

Tuesday, 22 September 2020

The Fiji Corrections Service on Monday 22 September received its second batch of Personal Protective equipment in the battle against COVID-19 from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Receiving the donation was Deputy Commissioner of Corrections Senior Superintendent Apakuki Qura who said that during such times the FCS was very much dependant on such organisations as the ICRC to help them through. The ICRC had donated the first batch on April 14, 2020.

ICRC Head of Regional Delegation in the Pacific Vincent Ohillet said they were pleased Fiji has managed to contain COVID-19 well

He was delighted to be given the opportunity to continue their support for the FCS because they were well aware of the risks.

“And we are happy to support the Fiji Corrections Service in these efforts by supplying 20,000 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment to help them remain prepared and ready.

“We thank Commissioner Francis Kean for this cooperation as in recent months we have also provided the FCS with hygiene and disinfection material as well as laptop computers  to allow detainees to make video calls to family and lawyers whilst visits were suspended.,’’ he adds.

The donation in April comprised of cleaning agents, face masks, hand sanitizers, nursing protecting gowns, body soaps and washing soaps. This week equipment donated were facemasks, isolation gowns, caps and latex gloves.

SSUPT Qura said in prison, social distancing was impossible and that was why FCS had taken the lead in closing down all unnecessary contact with the outside world and introduced hygiene measures in the way they operated daily since early April.

He assured the ICRC that the FCS had adopted a very serious response from day one because of the conditions inside prisons made the FCS a high risk area for the pandemic.

“We are very thankful for this donation, because the fight against COVID-19 for us at the FCS is all about prevention first and we have to ensure our officers, those under our care and our surroundings are also equally sanitized and that we all continue to observe good personal hygiene practices.”