Maharashtra govt seals six jails due to overcrowding; state's COVID-19 tally at 3651

Announcing containment inside 6 jails in Maharashtra, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, on Sunday, stated that the as prisons in Maharashtra are housing more inmates than its capacity, the government has decided to lock down these 5 jails - including Aurangabad jail. Deshmukh added that all police personnel will be made to stay inside the jails and no one will be allowed to move in or out of the jails. Maharashtra currently tops the nation with 3651 Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and 211 deaths.

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Maharashtra seals 6 jails

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Punjab: 2 jails turned into quarantine centers

On the other hand, on Thursday, the Punjab government announced that two jails - Barnala and Patti have been converted into quarantine centers with immediate effect. The Punjab Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has stated that the 202 inmates from Barnala have been shifted to Central Jail Bathinda while the remaining 100 inmates have been shifted to New Jail Nabha. Meanwhile, 110 inmates from Batti jail have been shifted to District Jail Sri Mukatsar Sahib and the 412 inmates of said sub-jails have been shifted to other jails.

Randhawa added that any new inmate would be sent to these jails for quarantine after proper medical examination. Moreover, any symptomatic inmate in the state would only be sent to Barnala and Patti sub jails for quarantine. Currently, Punjab has 202 positive COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths.

COVID-19: Punjab govt turns two jails into quarantine centers to house symptomatic inmates

Coronavirus in India

As of date, 12974 active cases have been reported of the pandemic Coronavirus (COVID-19) - 2230 have been discharged and Maharashtra reported the highest at 3651. 507 deaths have been reported till date. India has suspended all visas and barred travel from Afghanistan, Philippines, EU, UK, China, Malaysia and mandatory 14-day quarantine from several other countries. PM Modi has extended the lockdown till May 3, with a relaxation possibility in non-COVID hotspots after April 20.

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