Patiala Central Jail declared macro containment zone as 40 more inmates test positive

Health department has declared Patiala Central jail as macro containment zone as 40 more inmates have been tested positive. With this, around 70 inmates have already tested positive so far and it seems the jail has turned into a COVID-19 hotspot. Patiala Health Department assigned more teams on Wednesday morning for mass sampling at the jail. It has been learnt that positive inmates would be shifted to a sub jail in Ludhiana district, which has already been designated for COVID. Last week around 30 female jail-inmates had tested positive. Sources said that owing to the overcrowding, it was difficult to stem the spread in the jail as physical distancing could not be maintained. Confirming the development, Patiala Civil Surgeon Dr. Harish Malhotra said that the jail is being declared macro containment zone. Also Read | Health minister dedicates three new community health centres He said that, “My teams are already on the job to curtail the spread. Large scale sampling is being conducted at the jail.” -PTC News