At least 20 staff of Thane Jail, including a senior official, have tested COVID-19 positive and been admitted to various Covid Care Centres, according to officials.
So far, 800 people in Maharashtra jails have tested COVID-19 positive. The new cases have emerged despite jail authorities following strict lockdown procedures and shifted new inmates into temporary facilities in Taloja and Kalyan.
“Twenty Thane Jail staff have tested positive over the past week. Tests were conducted after some staffers showed symptoms. Some of them are asymptomatic. They have been sent to Covid centres for treatment,” a prison official said. However it is still unclear how the staff contracted the disease.
The Nagpur jail has been the most affected with 200 inmates and 57 jail staff infected.