Coronavirus Agra: Jail authorities have requested a resampling test on the prisoner (Representational)
An inmate of the Central Jail in Uttar Pradesh's Agra has tested positive for coronavirus. This is possibly the first case of a convict being infected with the deadly virus in the state. 14 inmates who were in close contact with the convict have been quarantined after he tested positive.
Prison guards and other jail staff who came in contact with the prisoner are being identified and isolated.
The inmate was taken to the hospital on Sunday with high blood pressure and symptoms of brain stroke. He was admitted to the SN Medical College where after an initial test he tested negative for coronavirus, the Director General of the state's prison department said.
However, another test on Wednesday confirmed that he was infected with the novel coronavirus.
The Agra jail authorities say that the convict has had no contact with anyone from outside for 45 days as jail visits were halted after the nationwide lockdown was implemented to stop the spread of the highly contagious virus.
The jail authorities have requested a resampling test on the prisoner. He was staying in a barrack with 74 other inmates in the jail.
The prisoner was transferred from a jail in Jhansi to Agra in December last year. The convict is serving a murder sentence.
Agra is UP's COVID-19 hotspot with the highest cases in the state with 241 positive cases.