A day after three life convicts in Cuddalore and Tiruchy central prisons were tested positive for coronavirus after they were taken from Puzhal prison, authorities take swab samples from 194 of the prisoners’ contacts in Cuddalore, Tiruchy, Madurai, Palayamkottai and Puzhal prisons on Wednesday.
Chennai:
Similarly, 184 samples were taken from Theni jail after a remand prisoner was found positive, making the total number of samples collected from jails 378.
In Puzhal alone, nearly 90 samples were collected by a medical team and many of them had a high temperature. “The prisoners who were in close contact with the three coronavirus infected prisoners have been quarantined,” sources said.
Prison officials said inmates from other prisons, who attended a special programme along with the three patients, are also being quarantined and tested.
“The vehicles which carried the prisoners, who came to Puzhal prison to attend Class 12 examination, back to their designated jails were recalled and they were are also quarantined and tested,” sources said.
It may be noted that the Tamil Nadu Prison Department had released thousands of remand prisoners on bail after getting a nod from judicial officers during the lockdown to avoid congestion on prison campuses.
Though there were debates over the possible release of convicts on long parole during the lockdown, it was not executed in TN jails because the population at the prisons came down to 50 per cent of its capacity after remand prisoners were released.