THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Coronavirus pandemic has hit the central jail here with more than 350 inmates testing positive in the last one week and a murder accused succumbing to the pathogen on Sunday, a top prison official said.
The undertrial prisoner was the first to test positive for the virus in the prison at nearby Poojapura and in the last one week 359 more cases, including a staff, have been reported, its superintendent Santhosh S said.
As many as 145 cases were detected on Sunday alone, he said adding barring three, shifted to hospital, others have been kept in a special isolation area within the prison. "An undertrial prisoner in a murder case, Manikandan, who was lodged here since 2016, passed away at the medical college hospital here..