Bosnia / Herzegovina has one of the lowest vaccination rates in all of Europe, with one exception: its prisoners.
More than 80% of men and women held in the country's 13 prisons have received at least one dose of the vaccine. By comparison, the corresponding percentage for the total population barely exceeds 27T%. And the reason for this is not the lack of vaccines, but the distrust of the citizens.
Prisons are a beacon of vaccination
Bosnia, like the rest of the Balkans, had serious difficulties in securing vaccines earlier this year, but by the end of the spring they had a steady supply of sufficient doses. But while the general population soon became indifferent to his vaccination, interest remained high within penitentiaries, where authorities argued that vaccination was carried out solely on a voluntary basis.
The largest prison in the country, the highest security prison in the city of Zenika, is a prime example. More than 90% of the 600 detainees, as well as more than 60% of the staff, have completed their vaccinations.
“We are essentially done,” prison official Reggio Cahric told the Associated Press.
Despite the fact that in all Bosnian prisons the rates of vaccinated officials remain lower than those of prisoners, they are still twice as high as the general population.
Prisoners are vaccinated voluntarily
Kahric stresses that vaccination is voluntary for all Bosnian prisoners. He believes that many detainees receive the vaccine for personal convenience, since, unlike the general population, they can not ignore the restrictive measures for the transmission of the virus and are forced to remain in quarantine in case of contact with a confirmed case.
Prisoners entitled to leave are also required to take tests before and after leaving the detention facilities. In general, virus control is more successful inside and outside Bosnian prisons than outside. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, no significant prison outbreaks have been reported.
“Many members of my family got stuck, including my mother, so I think using a mask and a vaccine is the solution,” Faro Kariman, a detainee in Zanika, told the AP.
They sew – and wear – masks
In the early days of the pandemic, when most of the planet was facing shortages of protective equipment, prisoners were asked to sew protective masks as part of a prison work program.
They eventually produced more than 10,000 masks, mostly for on-site use but also for distribution through the country's Justice Ministry to other penitentiaries, according to Kahric. The program goes on – like the pandemic.
Zenika prisons have been notorious for human rights abuses in the past, but substantial reforms have taken place over the past decade, during which the country is regularly monitored by European and Bosnian human rights organizations and officials.
Inside the lab earlier this month, detainees appeared to be in good spirits, the AP reported, exchanging teases while wearing protective masks. Most said they decided to be vaccinated against coronavirus, but also to wear masks for extra protection.
The production of the masks “is a way to spend quality time in prison and, at the same time, to contribute to society,” Kariman said.
Bosnia, with a population of 3.3 million, has recorded nearly 290,000 cases and more than 13,300 deaths from the pandemic – one of the worst scores in Europe.
Source: in.gr
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