18 people placed under quarantine in Bhondsi jail after head warder tests positive for Covid-19

Eighteen samples of Bhondsi jail staff members were sent to the Civil Hospital on Sunday for Covid-19 testing, after a jail warder tested positive for the disease.

Eighteen samples of Bhondsi jail staff members were sent to the Civil Hospital on Sunday for Covid-19 testing, after a jail warder tested positive for the disease. The samples came out negative, said jail officials on Tuesday.

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The 40-year-old head warder of Bhondsi jail had tested positive on Saturday. Jai Kishan Chillar, superintendent of Bhondsi jail, said the warder was on leave for six days and had resumed his duties on April 16.

“His sample was sent for tests as he had travelled to Bhiwani to meet his ailing wife. We followed the Covid-19 protocol, which states that anyone who goes out of the jail premises has to get tested for the virus before resuming work. Although he had no visible symptoms, we still took all the precautionary measures. He was put under quarantine after giving his samples for testing,” he said.

Dr Jaswant Singh Punia, chief medical officer(CMO), Gurugram, said, “All the 18 samples tested were found to be negative. Even the patient, who was found to be positive, tested negative in the second test on Tuesday,” he said.

The 18 people from whom the samples were taken were those whom the warder had met after returning from home. This group included his colleague, who drove him on a motorcycle to the Civil Hospital for getting tested. All the people are still placed under quarantine.

To prevent contamination, the jail premises and all the barracks are regularly being sanitised by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram ( MCG) and the medical teams, said jail officials.

Chillar said they are not allowing any outsider to cross the boundary of jail premises and even the staff members are not being allowed to step outside unless there is any medical emergency. “We are taking all precautionary measures and ensuring all the staff members and inmates are using sanitisers and wearing masks. Also, social distancing of at least two metres is being observed,” he said.

Jail authorities have converted a barrack into a quarantine ward for the inmates and in a portion of the staff quarters for the staff and their family members.