GUWAHATI: The State
Prison Headquarters has issued a directive to all jail authorities in the State
not to send any accused to jails without ascertaining their COVID-19 status.
Talking to The Sentinel, an official of the Assam Prison Headquarters
said, "Such a directive has been issued after COVID-19 positive cases among
prisoners, both convicts and undertrials, spurting in the State.
The decision for such a directive was taken after a meeting with the Chief Secretary of the State on July 13.
"According to the directive now on no accused can be sent directly to the jail. After producing an accused in the court, the antigen test of the accused has to be conducted. Only if the accused tests COVID-19 negative, he or she can be sent to the jail. If the accused tests corona positive, he or she should be sent to the hospital for treatment."
As of now, 328 prisoners have tested corona positive in Guwahati Central Jail; 24 in Golaghat District Jail; two each in Tezpur Jail, Mangaldai Jail and Udalguri Jail; and one in Dhubri Jail.
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