MANGALURU: With one of the undertrials from Manglauru District Prison testing positive for the novel coronavirus while he was admitted at Wenlock Hospital, the jail authorities have stepped up safety measures at the premises.

Chandan Patel, jail superintendent, Mangaluru District Jail, said that the jail has put in place several layers of scrutiny, before an undertrial is lodged along with others. Currently, the prison has 224 inmates, including three women. “A few days ago, one of the undertrials accused of murdering his father, was admitted to Wenlock Hospital due to epilepsy. However, he contracted the novel coronavirus, and is currently undergoing treatment. Due to this incident, the jail is leaving no stone unturned, and taking extra measures, so that no other undertrial gets infected,” he said, adding that the jail, in its old premises, has set up a 22-bed quarantine facility

Chandan explained that any new admission has to undergo a mandatory test for the novel coronavirus, which happens at the police station level. After the accused tests negative, he is brought to the jail, where he has to be in mandatory quarantine for 21 days. “After the quarantine period is over, they are sent to the main jail. The procedure is also the same for inmates already lodged at the prison. If they go out for medical purposes or on interim bail, they are quarantined for 21 days,” he said, adding, “Though undertrials who seek medical help at jail wards in the district hospital have less chance of getting infected, we are asking them to get quarantined. We don’t want to take any risk, even though inmates admitted to jail wards are at less risk of being infected,” said Patel.

Meanwhile, jails in coastal districts have stopped allowing visitors. “The inmates can keep in touch with their lawyers and family members through the common telephone facility available on the premises.”

Jail warden tests positive:

Sources from the jail said that a warden, who had accompanied another undertrial to Wenlock Hospital, has also tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The warden had collapsed on Tuesday, and his swab had been taken for testing. The results which came out on Wednesday confirmed that he had been infected.