COVID-19 wave: 34 prisoners test positive in Karimganj jail

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: COVID-19 second wave is proving more deadly, making its way to Karimganj central jail and infecting 34 prisoners. It is apprehended more might fall under its impact. The jail houses at present 290 inmates who include foreigners from Bangladesh, Myanmar and African countries. All of them will now be subjected to Rapid Antigen Test to find the virus. According to an inside source, some prisoners are carrying preliminary symptoms to indicate they might be infected by the virus.

During the first wave, most of the prisoners remained safe due mainly to precautionary and preventive measures adopted by the jail authorities. To avert the crisis following visible symptoms, the district health department on their request took up Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) in groups since all the 290 inmates can't be tested at one time. In the first group, 6 tested positive and till Friday, 28 were found to be positive. 'We hope to cover all the prisoners in a short time to enable us to take preventive measures strictly and halt the infection' pointed out Sanjeev Kumar Chetia, Superintendent of the Jail.

Did the virus enter the well-protected jail with regular sanitization from the foreign nationals detained? It seems there is no veracity of fact behind it. The foreigners from Bangladesh, Rohingya from Myanmar, Nigeria, Ghana and Angola nationals entered India through Bangladesh well before the second wave started. Among them are some women. They were detained and jailed as they infiltrated into Karimganj district through the Tripura border from Bangladesh without any valid documents like a passport.

How could the prisoners then get infected? The jail source says the family members who meet the inmates regularly with requirements might carry the virus to infect them. Once the prisoners test positive, they are kept in isolation and medication is arranged accordingly, adhering to the Covid Protocol. In case, some develop breathing problem or lung infection, they are taken to SMCH under security cover for better treatment.

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