NEW DELHI: The threat of coronavirus infection looms large in Delhi prisons as it readies for the returning inmates who were granted parole during the coronavirus outbreak last year. According to jail officials, it will be difficult to maintain social distancing with the surge in the number of cases in the prisons. They said the situation could be more difficult to manage when the inmates, who were granted parole during the pandemic outbreak last year, would return.
There are 18,900 inmates in the Delhi Prisons comprising Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli jails. However, the intake capacity of Delhi Prisons Department is 10,026 inmates. The number of inmates will pass the 20,000-mark as more will come after their emergency parole lapse, a senior jail official said.
Meanwhile, the jail authority asserted that all steps are being taken. “The last time an inmate was tested positive was on January 14. After that, three more persons were found positive, but their disease was detected before entering the jail. No jail staff has been detected positive after January 9,” said DG (Prisons) Sandeep Goel.