Lucknow, Jan 25 : A total of 117 inmates and three officials of the Basti district jail in Uttar Pradesh have tested positive for Covid-19.
They were found positive during random testing.
Senior jail officials said that they were all asymptomatic.
The barrack has been converted into an L-1 hospital where a team of doctors are monitoring the patients.
Jailor Satish Chandra Tripathi said a preliminary investigation revealed that the infection spread from some jail officials who had gone outside the premises.“All patients have been isolated in the barracks,” he said.
On January 1, during a routine Covid test, none of the inmates had tested positive.
The sudden increase in the number of Covid cases is a cause for concern.
A senior district official said, “We are taking all precautions to ensure that the virus does not spread further.”
There are 1,275 inmates and 50 staff members in the Basti jail
.
