Correctional begins screening high-risk inmates for transfer home amid virus fears

Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamedfulhu said on Saturday that Maldives Correctional Service has begun identifying inmates who are at high risk of developing serious illness from COVID-19 so they can be temporarily moved to home confinement to curb outbreaks in prisons.

Ahmed announced the decision to transfer inmates with underlying high health risk conditions to temporary home confinement in a tweet on Thursday.

Inmates with underlying high risk conditions would be transferred to temporary house arrest as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of #COVID19 in the prisons.

— Ahmed Mohamed (@ahumadhumohamed) April 29, 2021

He told Sun on Saturday that Maldives Correctional Service has begun identifying inmates who require transfer home.

He said that Maldives Correctional Service is reviewing medical documents on inmates, and conducting medical assessments on high-risk inmates such as those who have undergone surgery or are taking medication for chronic illnesses.

Ahmed’s announcement on Thursday came within hours after former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom – serving a five-year sentence for money laundering at the Maafushi Prison – was transferred home.

Maldives Correctional Service said Yameen was transferred home due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in the prison.

Maldives is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections. 465 new cases were recorded on Friday alone – the highest single-day spike the country has recorded to date.

Maldives has 4,978 active cases. 146 patients are hospitalized.