BHOPAL: A massive number of COVID-19 cases in a single day has been reported from a sub-jail in Madhya Pradesh- perhaps the highest number of the virus cases from any jail in the country in a single day.
The Bareli sub jail in Raisen district reported 67 COVID-19 positive cases in a single day on Monday evening.
Out of the 67 positive cases, 64 are jail inmates (78% of total 82 inmates), while three are jail guards.
Alarmed over the developments, the jail administration has decided to get the 11 remaining staff, including the administrative and supervisory staff tested for the viral infection on Tuesday.
Confirming the development to The New Indian Express on Tuesday, the DG of MP Jails Sanjay Chaudhary said the Covid-positive 22 symptomatic inmates and staff are being shifted to the Medical College in neighbouring Vidisha district, while remaining who are asymptomatic have been quarantined in Bareli sub jail only.
According to informed sources, the infection possibly spread in the jail due to newly admitted prisoners.
Owing to Covid-like symptoms of cough, cold and fever among many inmates of the sub-jail, COVID testing of the inmates and staff was conducted on Sunday and the alarming results came to the fore on Monday. This is possibly the biggest reported outbreak of the novel coronavirus in any single jail across the country.
Prior to that around 80-90 COVID- 19 positive cases were reported from jails across the central Indian state since February-March. Out of that, around 40 cases were reported in Indore, which has emerged not only as MP's COVID-19 hotspot but one of the major hotspots in the country.