THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A prisoner tested positive at the Poojapura Special Sub Jail on Sunday, raising speculation about possible community spread in the state capital. The 40-year old from Manalimukk in Venjaramoodu was arrested on Friday evening and brought to the special sub-jail on Saturday.
Almost 30 prison officials at the Poojapura special sub-jail will now go into quarantine along with 30 officials from Venjaramoodu police. Including the prisoner, 12 people tested positive for COVID 19 in the district on Sunday, the highest ever spike here.
The prisoner was kept under isolation in the jail once he was brought in as per the new protocol. His swab was collected before he was brought to the prison. On Sunday, his test came positive and the person has been moved to the Medical College Hospital.
“As per G.O issued on 20.5.2020, all new prisoners and parole returnees need to be tested before they can be allowed in with the other prisoners. In the case of prison officials, those who were on duty on Saturday will be quarantined at home while those on duty at present will be quarantined in the prison itself,” said a prison department official. There are close to 190 prisoners in jail.
The Venjaramoodu police station has now been cleaned and disinfected by the fire force. Thirty-two police officers will go under quarantine from the station. “He was arrested for possession of arrack and was in the station for close to 20 hours. There were close to 32 officials in active duty during the period,” said Vijayaraghavan, Circle Inspector, Venjaramoodu. The contact tracing and route map preparation of the prisoner is underway.
The other positive patients include a 65-year-old Navayikkulam native and 58-year-old Varkala native who returned from Oman on Saturday, 63-year-old Anayara native who returned from UAE on May 17, a 28-year-old Kuruthamkode who returned from Delhi, four people from Madavoor panchayat who returned from Mumbai in a traveller (35-year-old female, 39-year-old male, 52-year-female and seven-year-old boy), two people who returned from Mumbai in a car on May 21 (18-year-old, 51-year-old) and a 38-year-old Pozhiyoor native who returned from Nagarcoil.