HARIPUR: The warrant section of the Haripur central jail has been closed down as a jail warder was declared suspect after his father died due to coronavirus, official sources said here on Tuesday.

They said deceased Zafar Iqbal Lodhi, a resident of Mohallah Afzal Abad, was a retired office superintendent of KP’s prison department, and his son, Waqas Lodhi was posted in the warrant section of the Haripur jail. Mr Iqbal had tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday and he died on Monday afternoon in the Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad.

The health department’s rapid response team collected the samples of the four family members of the deceased, including Waqas. Since Waqas remained in close contact with his colleagues in Haripur jail the health authorities also collected the samples of an assistant superintendent in-charge of the warrant section and two other warders and sent them to Ayub Medical Complex. They all have been quarantined at their homes.

Meanwhile, IG prisons Masood ur Rehman ordered closure of the jail’s warrant office, where the prsioners’ record is kept. The jail building and the sections where Waqas used to visit frequently were also sprayed with disinfectant, health and jail officials said.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2020