Over 300 jail inmates test +ve, source of infection untraceable
New Delhi: As the fourth wave rages on, the Delhi Prisons have also been affected by COVID-19 as the number has crossed 300 and only 14 inmates have recovered so far.
The statistics shared by the prisons (till April 23) revealed that since March this year, 227 prison inmates tested positive for the virus in which only 14 have recovered whereas 60 prison staff were also affected by the virus and none of them have recovered. As per prison officials, the source of infection was not traceable.
The data further shows from May 2020 to February 2021, 120 inmates tested positive, in which, 118 recovered and two deaths were reported. As many as 293 prison staff were COVID-19 positive, however, all of them recovered. "Two deaths were reported in June 2020," the official said.
When asked how many surrenderees tested positive for the virus, an official said that around four to five surrenderees were detected positive at the time of surrender.
"At the time surrender, all surrenderees were put through Rapid Antigen Test," Sandeep Goel, Director, Delhi Prisons said. He added that after they were tested positive, they were taken into judicial custody and admitted to a government hospital.
Around 5,500 undertrials from Delhi's 16 jails were granted interim bail, of which 3,337 inmates were released based on criteria of risks set by the High Powered Committee (HPC).Data from the prisons department showed that around 1,200 of these undertrials had surrendered since March 6.
As per the prison authority, given the rising trend of Covid-19 cases once again, it has been decided to suspend the physical mulaqat of Delhi Prison inmates with family and friends from April 5 (Monday) till further orders. The situation will be reviewed in 15 days.
Meanwhile, when asked whether inmates were provided with the facility of a phone call to reach out to their families, an official said inmates have phone call and video call facilities. As per DG (prisons), they are ensuring social distancing inside jails.
