Prison authorities have informed courts that inmates from the Colombo Remand Prison, the Welikada Prison and the Magazine Prison would not be produced before courts on Monday (9) due to a measles outbreak, according to the Prisons Media Spokesperson.

The Department announced that inmates in Colombo-based prisons who fall within the eligible age groups are being vaccinated against the spreading measles outbreak. Infected inmates are being isolated from others, while treatment is ongoing. Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Acting Prisons Commissioner General Prasad Hemantha Kumara said that the measles outbreak in prisons was being controlled with the necessary medical attention and that court activities had not been affected. “There are only a couple of patients who have been reported, and all of them are isolated now. The rest of the inmates who meet the age requirements have been vaccinated, while other medical support is being provided for the well-being of inmates,” he said.

His comments come as the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners has written to the Health Ministry, raising concerns that the spread of measles, coupled with prison congestion, could worsen the situation and expose all inmates to the disease. The Committee had also raised concerns over the lack of medical facilities and medicine shortages within prisons. However, Kumara rejected these allegations, stating that inmates were receiving the necessary medical care.