Maafushi Prison goes under lockdown after prison officer tests positive

Subsequent to a jail officer testing positive for COVID-19, Maafushi Prison has been brought to a state of emergency as a safety precaution.

Maldives Correctional Service’s Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed had told the prison officer had been tested after exhibiting symptoms – and subsequently, the results had come back positive.

Commissioner Ahmed Mohamed had also noted that contact tracing had begun at the prison – and that the prison shall remain in a state of emergency until the results of all samples taken are received.

“The prison was brought under a state of emergency after a prison officer had tested positive. Starting from now,  movements of all detainees have been temporarily halted. All prison officers have also been brought inside – and have been disallowed to make movements temporarily. Contact tracing is underway. The jail will remain in lockdown till we get the bubble’s results,” he had said.

Within the last 24-hours, a total of 173 persons had tested positive for COVID-19, increasing confirmed cases in Maldives to 81,474.     

These cases include; 68 from the greater Male’ region, 89 from residential islands outside Male’, and 16 from operational resorts. 

Meanwhile, 72 additional COVID-19 patients were confirmed to have made full recoveries over the last 24 hours, increasing total recoveries to 79,340.   

With the new developments, Maldives now has 1,895 active cases.