The latest figure took the overall tally of COVID-19 infected inmates in jails across the state to 1,379.
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With the Coronavirus not getting contained anytime soon, at least 191 inmates at the Basti district jail in Uttar Pradesh have tested positive for the Coronavirus.
The latest figure took the overall tally of COVID-19 infected inmates in jails across the state to 1,379.
Also, 56 inmates of two prisons in Bareilly have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said.
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“Reports of 51 inmates of central jail and five inmates of district jail have been found positive for COVID-19,” District Surveillance Officer, Ashok Kumar said.
Inmates of the prisons were tested after an inmate of the central jail died due to COVID-19, he said.
The district has so far reported 3,773 COVID-19 cases with 98 fatalities reported, so far.
The Basti jail inmates were found positive after the health department teams conducted tests on August 9.
There are around 1,400 inmates currently lodged at Basti district jail.
Chief medical officer, Basti, AK Gupta, said on Monday night that preliminary investigations have revealed that an infected person who had gone to distribute medicines, might have led to the spread inside the jail premises.
“All have been isolated inside the prison in separate barracks, while eight others who are older inmates have been shifted to the district hospital,” he said.
Last month, 128 inmates had tested positive in Jhansi jail and 228 in Ballia jail.
Meanwhile, according to a report from Banda, a journalist died due to COVID-19 on Sunday.
52-year-old Anjani Nigam was admitted at the Banda Medical College and later referred to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow on Saturday when his condition deteriorated, accrding to the Divisional Commissioner Banda Gaurav Dayal. He said that Nigam died on Sunday.
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