419 inmates in Maafushi Prison have been quarantined following the confirmation of a Covid-19 outbreak at the facility.

According to Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) 63 inmates at the Maafushi Prison Complex have tested positive for coronavirus.

Maafushi Prison was brought under a state of emergency following the confirmation of a Covid-19 outbreak on January 14.

The authority went on to reveal that five officers at the facility have also contracted the infection.

Should the situation worsen, the corrections authority has made arrangements to transfer the Covid-stricken inmates to a facility. MCS went on to reveal that the patients are currently quarantined and isolated from other prisoners. During this time, they will not be allowed outside of their cells and will be given the required treatment.

MCS revealed that until the state of emergency is lifted, conjugal and familial visits as well as meetings with legal teams and court hearings will be carried out online, as a safety precaution.

Earlier, the authority had transferred 17 high-risk inmates to house arrest following the confirmation of 522 positive cases from the facility, on an earlier occasion.

One of them included Former President Abdulla Yameen who was transferred to house arrest on 29 April 2021 after some officers at the Maafushi Prison complex were tested positive for Covid-19. He was among the high-risk convicts transferred to house arrest for their own safety.

The last time a state of emergency was announced in the prison facility was in September 2021.