Over 50 inmates and seven staff members in the three prison complexes of Delhi are presently undergoing treatment for COVID-19, officials said today.
"A total of 174 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 so far," Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said.
According to the data shared by officials, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi prisons till Tuesday stands at 59, including seven jail staff.
"Of the 174 positive cases, 120 inmates have recovered and two have died, leaving 52 active cases. A total of 300 prison staff contracted the infection so far. Of them, 293 have recovered and seven are still under treatment," Mr Goel said.
The first case of the coronavirus was reported in Rohini Jail on May 13. Two COVID-19 positive inmates of Mandoli Jail died on June 15 and July 4. Both were senior citizens.
The officials 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.
A total of 1,184 convicts and around 5,500 under-trials were released last year under the department's decongestion drive amid the pandemic outbreak.
Earlier, the prison officials had said that the situation could be more difficult to manage when the inmates, who were granted parole during the pandemic outbreak last year, would return.
There are a total of 18,900 inmates in the Delhi Prisons comprising Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli jails. However, the intake capacity is just 10,026 inmates, the officials had said.
The number of inmates will pass the 20,000-mark as more will come after their emergency parole ends, they had said.
The vaccination process in the jails is on.
New Culinary Gems in Delhi: Exploring The Latest Restaurants To Visit In October-November 2024 IPL 2025 Mega Auctions Will Not Be Hosted In India Or Dubai But In This Country With Cristiano Ronaldo Connection: Report On Camera, Delhi Man Suffers Heart Attack During Ramleela Performance, Dies "Sit Quiet": Bhavish Aggarwal As Kunal Kamra Flags Ola EV Issue Dinner With Kim Jong Un Or George Soros? S Jaishankar Was Asked. His Reply "Haryana Can Give Me Space": Kumari Selja, A Dalit, Day After Exit Polls "There's One India": Canada Reaffirms Support For Territorial Integrity New Culinary Gems in Delhi: Exploring The Latest Restaurants To Visit In October-November 2024 Rajasthan Police Constable 2024 Computer Based Test Result Released Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.