Hulhumale’ Prison was placed under lockdown on Monday, after an inmate tested positive for coronavirus.

Maldives Correctional Services (MCS) said that a 56-year-old inmate at Hulhumale’ Prison has tested positive for Covid-19, and that he has since been transferred to a quarantine facility.

It further said that the prison has been placed under lockdown, as contact tracing is carried out.

Back in September last year, a total of 11 inmates at Hulhumale Prison had tested positive for the infection.

Health authorities have conducted random sampling in prisons, to curb the spread of the infection and identify the extent of the spread in prisons and detention facilities across the island nation. A number of measures have been put in place in the prisons to ensure the safety of officers and prisoners.