Virus strikes Rohini jail, 15 test positive

The Delhi prison conducted coronavirus test of 19 inmates who shared barrack with a fellow prisoner who had tested positive for Covid19 earlier this week, officials said on Saturday.

Out of the 19, 15 inmates tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

“We had conducted Covid-19 test of 19 inmates of Rohini jail who were sharing barrack with one inmate, Kuldeep. He had tested positive at DDU hospital earlier where he had gone for some other ailment,” director general (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said.

“Their results have come and 15 out of these 19 inmates have tested positive. Five staff had also undergone the test, out of which one head warder tested positive while the rest are negative,” the director general said.

So far, all these persons, including those who tested positive, are asymptomatic. The inmates, who have tested positive, have been separated from others. They have been kept in isolation quarantine barrack, Mr Goel said.

The head warder has been sent for home quarantine. Some of the other staff have also been sent to home quarantine, he said.

“Regular medical screening of all the inmates is already being done and it will continue. The sanitisation process is also being carried out and all necessary action as per medical protocol is being taken,” the DG said.

Earlier, a 28-year-old inmate of Rohini jail had tested positive for the disease.

The prisoner had some intestinal problem and was admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital on Sunday. His intestine surgery was conducted on Sunday. On Monday, doctors took the samples for Covid-19 and the result came positive on Wednesday.

He didn’t have any coronavirus symptoms. That was the first positive case of coronavirus in a Delhi prison.