COVID-19: Over 800 Inmates Escape Prison As Brazil Records First Virus-Related Death

There were massive break out of inmates in four prisons in Sao Paulo, in Brazil over fears of the spread of coronavirus as the country records its first death resulting from the virus disease.

The shocking jailbreak occurred as the country’s health official confirmed on Tuesday the death of a 62-year-old man who died of the virus disease at a private hospital in Sao Paulo, having previously been diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and prostatic hyperplasia.

Daily Mail reports that the breakouts occurred after the country’s Justice Department had announced it was postponing a work program which allowed inmates to leave jails because government officials feared that they would return infected with covid-19 and spread it to other prisoners.

Authorities however recaptured about half of the over 800 that fled but did not produce a final tally of how many inmates escaped from the prison facility.