PATNA: In a first, more than 215 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar's Araria jail on Tuesday and Wednesday during testing of the prisoners. All the positive prisoners have been isolated in the jail with proper cares so that they could not spread infection among others.
Confirming this, IG (Prison) Mithilesh Mishra said that all the 215 positive inmates have been isolated in the jail following the set norms of WHO and health parameters by jail administration.
Mishra said that 42 inmates were tested positive on Tuesday and 182 on Wednesday.
"Altogether 600 out of total 706 inmates of Araria jail were tested. And among those 600, 215 have been diagnosed positive with the infection of Covid-19," Mishra said.
He said that all the positive prisoners are asymptomatic and placed under isolation monitored by jail administration and health officials.
The IG further said that more than 300 prisoners have so far tested positive in different jails of state. "A majority of them, except 215 tested positive in Araria, have recovered while 4 prisoners were found positive after death in Bhagalpur," he said.
"The prison department of state has made proper arrangement of masks, hand sanitizers and hand washing in every jail. The prisoners are continuously educated on how to maintain social distancing and safety on the Covid-19," he claimed.
The prisoners of some jails have also made masks in bulk quantity which are distributed among the inmates of other jails depending upon the requirement.