Dozens of prisoners in the women’s ward of Orumiyeh Central Prison, in northwestern Iran, have contracted Covid-19 over the past several days.
Reportedly, the situation of the prisoners is critical due to the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus in the ward and the lack of proper medical services in the prison.
“A few days ago, the Omicron [variant of the corona] virus spread in the women’s ward of Orumiyeh Central Prison through two prisoners who had returned from temporary leave and contracted the coronavirus”, said the family of one of the prisoners in an interview with the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
The source added that it was difficult to take the situation under control due to the high rate of cases in the ward, the lack of proper medical services, and the negligence of the prison authorities.
The health condition of four political prisoners named Golaleh Moradi, Snour Khalifani, Snour Tamara, and Somayeh Ghoreishi has deteriorated.
There are 150 prisoners in the ward, and the infected prisoners are still being held together with other prisoners.
In the past few days, two prisoners have reportedly been transferred to an out-of-prison hospital due to their deteriorating health conditions and then returned to the quarantine ward for women.