Despite efforts to restrict movement, sanitise prison premises and regulate visitors to keep coronavirus away, a total of 928 prison inmates and 167 staff have tested positive in the various jails of Andhra Pradesh, as on August 19. Speaking to TNM, Inspector General of Prisons, G Jayavardhan, said, “Out of the total of 928 inmates who tested positive, 825 are active cases and the rest have recovered. 167 prison staff have also tested positive.”
Four prison staff have lost their lives due to the pandemic. Out of those who passed away, three are head constables and one is a home guard. One person was working at the Rajahmundry jail, while two were posted at the Nellore jail and one staff member was from the Tadipatri sub-jail. Om Prakash, who was an inmate of the Vizag Central Prison, is the only prisoner who died due to COVID-19 in the state, officials said.
Officials believe that Om Prakash may have contracted the virus as he used to visit a hospital every few days for dialysis. The Vizag Central Prison has a total of 1,500 inmates, out of which 70 have tested positive.
In the Rajahmundry Central Prison, cumulatively more than 380 inmates have tested positive out of which 76 cases are presently active. In Nellore Central Prison, 115 inmates and nine staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. Out of the total inmates, 105 cases are currently active.
Former TDP MLA JC Prabhakar Reddy who is presently lodged at the Kadapa Central prison in Andhra Pradesh has also tested positive for the coronavirus. He was released recently on bail in a case of submitting fake documents to authorities. He was later arrested again the next day, after he heckled a policeman in Anantapur.
On Tuesday, a total of 700 inmates of the Kadapa Central jail were tested for the coronavirus. Speaking to TNM, Mohd Ahsan Reza, Director General of Prisons said, “More than 300 people have tested positive at the Kadapa Central Prison. Almost all of them have been found to be asymptomatic.”
Explaining the arrangements made in the jails in the state, the IG of Prisons said, “All jails have separate enclosures for those who have tested positive. They are in quarantine blocks. They are all under observation, nutritious food and medicines are being provided to all of them. They are in separate quarantine blocks so that there is no interaction with the others in the jail. We have increased the frequency of chicken and eggs in their diet. The government is also providing dry fruits to them. We have three doctors and para medical staff to look into their medical needs and their health conditions.”
Jail authorities feel that there is no reason to worry, as the mortality rate among prisoners is very low. They say that all four jail staff who passed away had comorbidities and hence succumbed to the virus.
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