Malawi prison register first Covid-19 case: Release some inmates or risk ‘death sentence’ for many
A prisoner at Chichiri Prison in Blantyre has tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in what is the first confirmed case of an inmate contracting the disease in Malawi jails.
Malawi Prisons spokesperson Chimwemwe Shaba has confirmed.
“It is true that we have registered a Covid-19 case at the Chichiri Prison,” said Shaba.
Shaba said officers are taking appropriate action, including measures to minimise the risk of further infection.
No other prison staff or prisoners at the facility have tested positive.
The development is likely to cause more panic as the Covid-19 cases continue to rise at an alarming rate in the country.
So far 40 deaths have been registered, 1662 active cases while 795 have recovered.
A total number of bout 21532 number of tests have been conducted.
Right campaigner are calling on the government to urgently release a proportion of the prison population to protect them from the current public health crisis, warning that not doing so could be a “death sentence” for many.
Malawi prisons are filthy and disgustingly unhygienic.
Transfer Chisale, his wife there asap please
People relaxed observing COVID-19 preventive measures after Chilima said there was no COVID-19 in Malawi. He is the one to blame for the spike.
Mr Trapence and the HRDC can you quickly intervene here
Koma dzi gawenga izo zisa chotsedwe mundende ai. Mudzaleka prison nditudwi
Releasing them is not a solution. What about our rights??? Do zinthu zoyenelera kuti mupange……Muwatulutse azayambenso kutivuta kunja kuno….
So you will release them into the public without first testing and isolating them? What about the rights of the public? It was clear from the start that once corona gets into Prisons, it will spread like wildfire. Even new arrivals aren’t tested. Manage the situation within the prisons.
Malawi cannot manage this thing within the prisons. There are no opportunities for social distancing and even isolation. Unfortunately government has to act quickly on this one as it is a human rights issue.
When we are looking at the coronavirus issue we also have to look at the statistics. Is it the biggest killer? What is the percentage of those that have been killed national wide and world wide? Which groups of people are more vulnerable? Yes it is a disease that is new and we have seen deaths and recoveries. All we need to do is just increase awareness on how to control transmission while we are waiting for remedies. Malawi still stands at less than 2% deaths of those infected by the virus. Surely there are thousands who walking out there… Read more »