Lucknow, Apr 18 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh government is setting up temporary jails for keeping criminals, who are arrested or have surrendered, in quarantine till they test negative for Covid.

This is being done to ensure that there is no spread of Covid among convicts and undertrials lodged in jails.

DG, prisons, Anand Kumar, said that all the jail superintendents have been instructed to contact their respective district administrations and start setting up temporary prisons.

"Instructions have been given to jail superintendents to resume manufacturing of masks, sanitiser and to conduct regular yoga exercises for prisoners and staff to increase their immunity and protect them from Covid," he said.

At present, there are 48 temporary jails in the state in which around 3,500 prisoners are lodged.

The prisons department has also requested courts for hearing of cases of prisoners via video conferencing only.

Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Avanish Awasthi has also directed all the district magistrates to write to district judges, requesting them to allow hearing of convicts and undertrials via video conferencing.