While people across the globe are battling against the deadly coronavirus, the outbreak has come as a blessing for the prisoners in Kerala. Around 1,000 remand and undertrial prisoners who are sentenced to less than seven years imprisonment in Kerala, would be granted parole soon.

On Monday, the Kerala High Court granted the parole which will be till April 30 in view of the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. However, habitual criminals will not get the benefit of this parole. With this 8600 prisoners across the state could walk free for a month.

Those who are granted bail should report to their local police station immediately and must strictly follow the lockdown instructions, the High Court said. In case of any violation, the police can arrest such people and put them back in jail.

As Kerala is one state that has been badly affected by the coronavirus, the court took this as a special case to reduce the crowding in jails and curb the spread. As on Monday, the state has reported 234 cases of coronavirus, of which 20 have recovered and two have died.