191 Uttar Pradesh jail inmates test COVID-19 positive

Amid spike in coronavirus cases, 191 inmates of Basti district jail in Uttar Pradesh have tested positive for the lethal virus. The Basti inmates were found positive after health department teams conducted tests on August 9. There are around 1,400 inmates currently lodged at Basti district jail.

Lucknow: At least 191 inmates at the Basti district jail in Uttar Pradesh have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The latest figure took the overall tally of COVID-19 infected inmates in jails across the state to 1,379.

The Basti inmates were found positive after health department teams conducted tests on August 9. There are around 1,400 inmates currently lodged at Basti district jail.

Chief medical officer, Basti, A.K. Gupta, said on Monday night that preliminary investigations have revealed that an infected person who had gone to distribute medicines, might have led to the spread inside the jail premises.

"All have been isolated inside the prison in separate barracks, while eight others who are older inmates have been shifted to the district hospital," he said.

Also on Monday, 56 inmates at the Bareilly jail had tested positive for COVID-19.

Last month, 128 inmates had tested positive in Jhansi jail and 228 in Ballia jail.

Meanwhile the number of active coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh reached 47878 on Tuesday while the recoveries stood at 76724. However, 2120 fatalities have been reported so far.

IANS report