81 test positive in Udhampur jail

At least 72 inmates and 9 staff members have tested positive for COVID19 in District Jail Udhampur.

“The sampling of 479 inmates and all the staff members of the prison was conducted during which 81 tested positive for the deadly virus,” said a senior official.

The official said that they have isolated the infected 72 inmates as well as the 9 staff members within the premises of the prison.

“All of them are asymptomatic. We are providing them needed medical care and healthy food,” said the official while claiming that the doctors along with jail staff have been monitoring their health condition.

Meanwhile, one inmate who tested positive for COVID19 at Kotbalwal Central Jail on May 6 has recovered.

The official said that they have established an isolation ward within the prison for the inmates and separate isolation rooms for the staff members.

“We have not stopped the leaves of the staff members. But they have to return with a negative RT-PCR report. The staff members are tested again and isolated till the report comes negative on the resumption of their duties following leave,” another senior official said.

Even as COVID cases have surfaced in different jails, the senior official said the vaccination process is yet to begin. “Our staff members have been vaccinated (at their personnel level), but no inmate has been vaccinated,” admitted three officials in different jails of Jammu division.

One official said that they have written to the concerned authorities for vaccination in jails.

“A circular issued by Government of India has insisted on including prisons in the vaccination process for which Aadhaar Card is not required even though it was mandatory earlier,” said an official of one of the jails in Jammu Division.

The official said: “We have written to the administration and concerned Chief Medical Officer (CMO). We are assured as and when vaccines are available vaccination will start.”