Buimo gets first inmates after closure in September

By GLORIA BAUAI
BUIMO prison in Lae received its first inmates from police on Monday after the facility had closed due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) infections in early September.
Prison commander Chief Supt Michael Wundia said measures were relaxed last month, leading to their first intake of inmates from the Lae police lock-up this week.
“We requested for 20 to 25 (inmates),” he said, but could not confirm the exact number the prison had received.
“Our population, as of Monday morning, was 608.
“We should be accepting at least 700, anything above that is overcrowding and overcrowding only brings negative issues.
“We’re doing our best to manage and for now, I prefer only the convicted ones so that the number is manageable.”
Chief Supt Wundia said the new inmates would undergo a Covid-19 test and be isolated for seven days before being transferred into the main campus with other inmates.
He said they had also received eight containers with three rooms each to be used as isolation units but were not in use yet.
According to Chief Supt Wundia, the containers lacked specific requirements requested by them.
He said Lae MP John Rosso recently allocated K20,000 which has not been released yet.