17 inmates in Delhi’s Mandoli jail test Covid-19 positive

Twelve others who were in the same barrack have tested negative but have been kept in isolation under medical supervision, officials said.

As many as 17 inmates who were lodged at east Delhi’s Mandoli Jail with an inmate who died of coronavirus on June 15 have tested positive for the virus, jail authorities said on Monday. Twelve others who were in the same barrack have tested negative but have been kept in isolation under medical supervision, officials said.

As many as 17 inmates who were lodged at east Delhi’s Mandoli Jail with an inmate who died of coronavirus on June 15 have tested positive for the virus, jail authorities said on Monday. (File photo for representation)

Kanwar Singh, who was lodged in central Jail number 14 of the Mandoli jail complex, was found dead on the morning of June 15 when his co-residents tried to wake him up but he was unresponsive. When jail officials took him to hospital, he was declared dead. Singh’s medical examination revealed that he was Covid-19 positive.

There were 29 other inmates in the same barrack and all of them were tested for Covid-19. “Their test result came on Monday, which said 17 inmates are positive and the rest 12 negative,” said a jail official who wished not to be named.

The officer said the 17 positive inmates have been shifted to a separate barrack in central jail number 14 and their health is being closely monitored by the jail doctor. “So far, their health is alright. The remaining 12 who have tested negative for the virus have been separately quarantined and they are under medical supervision,” the official said.

With the new cases, the cumulative figure of Covid-19 positive cases among inmates in Delhi prisons is now 40. Of them 16 have recovered so far while one inmate has died.

Among the prison staff, 46 have tested positive so far out of which 12 have recovered.