Lucknow, Mar 15 (IANS): Prisoners in Uttar Pradesh jails are now manufacturing masks to check the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), in the jails.

The Mathura jail plans to distribute over 500 masks manufactured by inmates of Mathura jail among other prisoners across the state.

The masks were manufactured by the inmates on Saturday and Sunday.

Director general of prisons Anand Kumar said 55 of the 71 jails in state have the facility to manufacture masks designed as per recommendations of government doctors. "In the remaining 16 prisons which do not have the required manufacturing set-up, we have asked jailers to arrange for masks from outside and then distribute it among inmates," he said.

"We have asked for in-house trainers to manufacture masks with the available resources. If there is a shortage of raw materials, we will arrange for more from markets," said the DG.

District prisons in Barabanki, Ghaziabad, Firozabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar have also started manufacturing masks.

Last week, jailors in 71 prisons were directed to install hand sanitizer dispensers on premises and distribute additional soaps among inmates.

They were also asked to ensure that they maintain a distance of at least one metre while interacting with each other.

He also said that though wearing a mask was not a foolproof way of checking the spread of virus, it is instrumental in maintaining hygiene.

UP jails are already over-crowded and jail wardens have been asked to organise sensitization drives in prisons to spread awareness about COVID-19 and send daily updates to the headquarters. There are adequate arrangements to shift prisoners with prolonged illness to district hospitals.