Guwahati Central Jail becomes Assam's new containment zone

The Guwahati Central Jail was on Friday declared as containment zone after a jail inmate tested coronavirus positive, an official said.

Kamrup Metropolitan Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu, in a notification declared the jail premises as "containment zone" after the detection of the case.

"Any unauthorised entry or exit and movement of any vehicle have been barred till the area is declared safe as per the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare," said Pegu, also the chairman of the Kamrup Metropolitan District Disaster Management Authority.

Jail sources said that the prisoner who had tested Covid-19 had been arrested earlier this week on charges of theft, and was brought to the jail with six other people on June 1 after a local court sent them to judicial custody.

The Guwahati Central Jail currently has 1,118 inmates against its capacity of housing 1,000.

Assam has six Central jails, 22 district jails, one open air jail, one special jail, one sub-jail and six detention centres for "declared foreigners".

"With 38 new cases, Assam's Covid-19 count climbed to 2,153 on Friday night, with active cases at 1,637," state Health Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma said.

( With inputs from IANS )