new delhi: Inmates will now be able to meet their family members inside prisons, as Tihar authorities have allowed the visit of family members from October. Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel confirmed the development and said, "Advance booking has to be done through telephone, as it was done earlier also." As per the official, the inmate will able to meet their family members once a month. Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, the Tihar jail had stopped mulaqat with family for prisoners in March. "They were told that the reason behind stopping family mulaqat was to ensure that no person comes from outside and create a scope for virus transmission," a Tihar official said. They were given the facility of phone calls to their relatives. The telephone which meant for inmates was regularly cleaned. Later, Tihar jail authorities have started allowing virtual meetings between prisoners and their families. Virtual meetings started in jail numbers 4 and 6. The first Covid-19 case inside the Tihar prison complex was reported on May 13. Since COVID outbreak 83 inmates and 207 prison staff were tested positive for the virus in which 72 inmates recovered and two died due to virus. One inmate who was tested positive for the virus fled from hospital 10 days back. About 193 staff have recovered so far. According to a data shared by the prison authorities, on September 30 the number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi Prisons stood at 22, including 14 jail staff, eight inmates. The DG (prisons) Sandeep Goel was also tested positive for the virus. His health conditions have improved.

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