Delhi prison reports 1st Covid death

New Delhi: As the COVID-19 test report of a 62-year-old Mandoli Jail inmate came back positive on Sunday, Delhi's jails reported its first Coronavirus death here.

According to prison authorities, an inmate of the Mandoli Jail died in his sleep on the evening of June 15 with no apparent cause of death. He was convicted for a murder in 2016 and sentenced to life and was admitted to the jail in mid-2018.

"Inquest proceedings were conducted by the Metropolitan Magistrate. COVID-19 test was also conducted on the dead body, the result of which came as positive," an official said. The 62-year-old was lodged in senior citizen barrack, sharing it with 28 other inmates.

"COVID-19 test is being conducted for all the inmates of this barrack. Presently their health is alright," said Sandeep Goel, Director General of Tihar.

According to data till June 21, as many 23 prison inmates in Delhi have tested positive for the contagious disease, of which 16 have recovered and now one has died; whereas 45 prison staff have been affected by the virus, of which seven have recovered.

Earlier the superintendent of Tihar Central Jail number 4 had tested positive for COVID-19. He complained of fever on June 4 and has been on leave since then. He got tested for the virus on June 11 and the report came positive two days later, a senior jail official said.

Meanwhile, in Delhi Police, an SHO-rank officer tested positive for the virus on Sunday. Earlier, from the same station, few other officials had

also tested positive. So far, over 800 policemen in the city have contracted the disease, of which 200 have recovered and eight have died.