'5 inmates under treatment for virus in Delhi prisons'

New Delhi: Five inmates, who recently arrived in jails in Delhi, have tested positive for COVID-19 and are undergoing treatment, officials said on Sunday.

This comes less than a month after the Delhi Prisons Department declared there was no active COVID-19 case among the inmates in its three jail complexes.

According to the data shared by the officials, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi Prisons now stands at 25, including 20 jail staff.

"A total of 70 prison inmates tested positive for COVID-19. Sixty-three of them have recovered and two died, leaving five active cases. There were 188 prison staff exposed to the novel coronavirus. Of them, 168 have recovered and 20 are still under treatment for the disease," Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said.

Earlier, on August 21, the Delhi Prisons Department had stated that none of the inmates in the three jail complexes of Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli are COVID-19 positive and that the coronavirus situation in jails here has improved.

Among prisons in the national Capital, the first case of the coronavirus was reported in Rohini Jail on May 13. Two coronavirus positive inmates of Mandoli Jail died on June 15 and July 4. Both were senior citizens, according to the officials.

They had said ever since the outbreak of the pandemic in March, the Prisons Department remained vigilant and instructed its staff to not only maintain hygiene and social distancing among themselves but also spread awareness about the infection among inmates in the three jail complexes.

The inmates are being given lime water to boost their immunity, they said.