RAJAHMUNDRY: In one of the biggest instances of its kind in the country, as many as 247 inmates of the Rajahmundry central prison in Andhra Pradesh have tested positive for Covid-19. Some of the jail staff too have tested positive.
The prison is the largest in the state with more than 1,650 inmates, including about 800 remand prisoners. Prison authorities had taken swab samples of 983 inmates for testing on Tuesday, which led to the prisoners and staff testing positive. Authorities said that they feared that the number may rise as they plan to test the remaining inmates over the next couple of days.
Andhra Pradesh has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases over the past over 30 days, making it jump to the number three spot among affected states in the country behind Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. It recorded more than 10,000 new cases on Thursday, taking its caseload to more than 1.96 lakh.
Rajahmundry prison superintendent S Raja Rao said they are making arrangements to house the affected inmates inside a large barrack.