As many as 18 inmates of a special camp on the Tiruchi Central Prison complex have tested positive for COVID-19.
Official sources said the tests conducted on all the inmates a few days ago revealed that as many as 17 Sri Lankan Tamils and a Sinhalese had contracted the infection.
They were accommodated in a separate place on the premises and the others stayed in rooms allotted to each of them.
107 inmates
The special camp houses as many as 107 inmates of various nationalities, who have cases pending against them at different police stations across Tamil Nadu.
Officials of the Revenue Department said around 40-45 workers of the Tiruchi Corporation cleaned the premises with disinfectants.
The sources added that the inmates could have contracted the infection from visitors to the prison complex.
