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.
