55 Sabarmati jail inmates, 4 staffers test COVID-19 positive

Ahmedabad, Apr 19 (PTI) As many as 55 inmates and four staff members of the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad have tested positive for coronavirus in the last one week, an official said on Monday.

A majority of the infected inmates are those who were lodged in the prison recently after being sent to judicial custody by courts hearing their cases, said Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sabarmati Jail, DV Rana.

An exercise to conduct RT-PCR tests on around 3,200 inmates of the jail is currently underway, he said.

"Fifty-five inmates, including convicts and undetrials, and four jail staff members were found infected with COVID-19 during the last one week.

"To stop the infection from spreading in the main campus, we keep newly-arrived inmates at an isolation area and send their samples for RT-PCR testing," said Rana.

"Almost 80 per cent the inmates who were found infected belong to this category. Remaining ones are those who were already in the jail," he said.

Rana said necessary steps are being taken to stop the spread of the virus in the jail premises. PTI PJT PD RSY RSY