COVID19 virus has infected as many as 208 inmates including four females in five jails in Jammu region. Three jail officials have also got infected.
Director General of Prisons, J&K, VK Singh said: “So far, 80 inmates including four female have tested positive in District Jail Amphalla. They have been isolated and a team of doctors is monitoring their health continuously.”
After the surge in covid cases, similar tests were conducted in other jails of Jammu division including at Rajouri, Kathua, Bhaderwah and Central Jail Kotbalwal.
“50 inmates tested positive for coronavirus in District Jail Rajouri and 50 inmates in District Jail Kathua,” said the DG Prisons.
He said that the sampling in Sub Jail Bhaderwah detected that 24 inmates were infected and four tested positive in Central Jail Kotbalwal.
Besides, the DG said that three staff members in Amphalla Jail tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The infected inmates were detected more in Jammu in comparison to Kashmir.
Greater Kashmir had exclusively reported that authorities have converted Pahari Hostel in Bantalab (peripheral area of Jammu district) to house the infected asymptomatic inmates from jails of Jammu for their covid care.
“This facility has been established for inmates of Amphalla and Kotbalwal Central Jail which will be operational within two days,” said the official.
Similar, isolated place for covid care of the inmates is to be established in Rajouri and Kathua districts.
The official said that they have barred the visitors to meet the inmates since the outbreak of the covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir to keep inmates safe from the infection.
The court hearing for trial and remand is being addressed online, the official said.
Pertinently, Jammu has recorded more positive cases in jails in comparison to Kashmir where 191 inmates were tested positive in Anantnag District Jail and Srinagar Central Jail, a month back. However, all of them have recovered from the infection, said an official.