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Published 12:20 IST, March 14th 2020

Tihar jail sets up 8 isolation camps in its campus to combat Coronavirus spread to inmates

To combat Coronavirus, Tihar Jail - one of Asia's biggest - has set up eight isolation camps on its campus. There are more than 17,500 prisoners lodged there

Reported by: Atul Krishan
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To combat Coronavirus, Tihar Jail - one of Asia's biggest - has set up eight isolation camps on its campus. According to inputs, there are more than 17,500 prisoners lodged in Tihar. Tihar Jail's IG Raj Kumar said that to stop Coronavirus from being spread such steps were taken.

According to Raj Kumar, they got instruction from the government to set up camps. "We have set up eight camps. Every foreigner prisoner is being kept there. Apart from this all the prisoners who are being taken to court for their production are kept here for sometimes when they are brought back," he said. The official said that every prisoner is being examined by the doctors.

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The preventive measures

Occasionally, when foreigners are held at Indira Gandhi International Airport or are arrested by local police in connection with visa fraud and in other cases, they are now to be kept at isolation camps to ensure they don't have Coronavirus. Tihar jail administration has given an indication that they can make more isolation wards in case of emergency.

Read: Hinduja hospital home quarantines staff who were in contact with Coronavirus patient

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Read: IIT Delhi suspends academic, co-curricular activities amid Coronavirus outbreak

A source in Tihar jail claimed that those who are coming to meet prisoners are being made to wash their hands with sanitizer so that the virus won't spread. Apart from this, every Tihar staff is being briefed about the virus. They are being told the do's and don'ts. "We are taking every possible step to stop this virus. Luckily no one has been tested positive as of now. We have examined more than 3000 prisoners," said a jail official.

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Read: Coronavirus outbreak: Railways suspends operations of India-Bangladesh trains, buses

Read: Alaska’s governor suspends classes at schools, limits agency visits amid coronavirus scare

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12:20 IST, March 14th 2020