With 475 cases in last 5 days, Covid tally reaches 614

LUCKNOW: With 475 more inmates and staff of UP jails testing positive for Covid-19 in less than a week, the tally reached 614 on Sunday, said jail officials.

As per the officials, the cases in jails saw a sudden spike after 228 inmates and staff of Ballia jail and 210 inmates and staff of Jhansi jail tested corona positive in the last few days. Besides, 25 cases were reported in Azamgarh jail on Saturday while four inmates of Etah jail tested positive on Sunday, they added. Also, eight inmates of Lucknow jail tested positive for corona on Sunday, they said.

Santosh Kumar, spokesperson for prison headquarters in Lucknow, said efforts were on to curb spread of infection among inmates by intensifying screening and carrying out sanitisation drives in jails to disinfect barracks as well as other common areas. Kumar further said a total of 593 inmates and jail staff across the state had tested corona positive since March 27.

“Of the total, 507 cases were reported from permanent jails while remaining ones were reported from 51 temporary jails set up in 61 districts to keep new prisoners for 14-day quarantine before shifting them to permanent jails,” he said while sharing details.

Kumar said most of the inmates were asymptomatic and that they were kept in separate barracks while 48 inmates of permanent jails and 67 inmates of temporary jails were admitted to L-1 grade hospitals.

On May 17, the state government had ordered to lodge new prisoners in temporary jails under 14-day quarantine before sending them to regular 72 prisons across the state after testing them for Sars-CoV-2 infection.

Besides, over 13,000 jail inmates were also released on parole and bails in April to decongest jails fearing spread of infection among them.

A TOTAL OF 593 INMATES AND JAIL STAFF ACROSS THE STATE HAD TESTED CORONA POSITIVE SINCE MARCH 27