This story is from August 14, 2020

Bihar: 224 of over 700 Araria district jail inmates test Covid-19 positive

Altogether 224 inmates of the Araria district jail have tested positive for Covid-19, setting alarm bells ringing at the prison directorate in Patna. Officials said 706 prisoners are lodged in the jail.
Bihar: 224 of over 700 Araria district jail inmates test Covid-19 positive
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PATNA: Altogether 224 inmates of the Araria district jail have tested positive for Covid-19, setting alarm bells ringing at the prison directorate in Patna. Officials said 706 prisoners are lodged in the jail.
Reports of the rapid antigen tests confirmed that out 600 inmates who were tested, 224 were infected with the virus. The tests were conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday on the directive of the prison headquarters.
There are around 41,500 prisoners lodged in eight central jails, 32 district and 18 sub-jails across the state having a sanctioned capacity of 44,900 inmates.

Araria district jailer Pramod Das said alternative arrangements were being made for inmates found positive for the deadly virus. “We have sought directives from the prison directorate for shifting the prisoners to other jails,” he said over the phone.
Araria civil surgeon Dr MP Singh said, “The antigen tests were conducted at the jail premises on Tuesday and Wednesday and 224 out of 600 were found to be infected with the virus.”
While 42 prisoners had undergone the test on Tuesday, 182 were selected for the test on Wednesday. “The test of the remaining inmates will be carried out in a day or two. We have already issued guidelines for the infected prisoners and asked the jail administration to make separate arrangements for them,” the civil surgeon added.

Authoritative sources said the new entrants were being shifted to the Purnia Central Jail or the sub-divisional jail at Dalsinghsarai in Samastipur district. The jail was being sanitized as a preventive measure to check the spread of the virus.
Earlier, reports of inmates of Kishanganj district jail, Madhubani district jail, Motihari Central Jail and Bhagalpur Special Central jail testing positive were received at the prison directorate.
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