77 inmates, 26 staff of Mumbai jail test positive for COVID-19

(Updating)

Palghar/Mumbai, May 7() As many as 77 inmates and26 staff members from Arthur Road jail in Mumbai havecontracted coronavirus, Maharashtra Home Minister AnilDeshmukh said on Thursday.

After the coronavirus epidemic broke out, the stategovernment had isolated eight prisons in the state includingthe Arthur Road prison, and ordered that no new person will beallowed to enter and those inside, including jail staff, willnot be allowed to leave prison during lockdown.

But despite the precautions, 72 inmates of Arthur Roadprison were found to have contracted coronavirus after comingin contact with a cook who had caught the infection, Deshmukhhad told reporters in Palghar district earlier in the day.

The home minister was speaking to the media aftervisiting Gadchinchale village in the district where threepersons including two monks were lynched by a mob on suspicionof being thieves on April 16.

Later, in a video message on Twitter, the ministerinformed that "coronavirus infection was found in one of thebarracks of the Arthur Road Jail and tests of all the inmatesin the barrack were immediately carried out".

"It was found that 77 inmates had contracted thedisease. Plus, 26 of police personnel too tested positive forcoronavirus," he said.

"So we have initiated the process of quarantiningthese 103 persons at St George Hospital," the minister added.

Deshmukh also said that to prevent the spread of virusin jails, the state government had decided to release onparole some 5,000 prisoners who have been sentenced to lessthan seven years' imprisonment. COR DC ENM KRK KRK