The Malawi Prisons Service (MPS) says it has registered 109 Covid-19 cases.

Malawi Prisons Service Spokesperson Chimwemwe Shaba said the registered cases include officers and prisoners.

He said 80 are inmates 21 are members of staff and their relatives.

Shaba said Zomba Central Prison is the one that has recorded the highest number of cases.

“Out of these cases 91 have been registered at Zomba Central prison where mass testing is underway and 74 are inmates while 17 members of staff are members of staff and their relatives.

“And the others cases have been recorded in Kasungu and Mangochi prisons,” he said.

He however said the prison service is still following all the measures that were being followed in the first wave like isolating inmates who are positive.

“We are still following the measures that we enforced during what is called the first wave.

“New admissions are being kept at regional isolation centers so that they are being accessed by medical personnel before they go to their various prison formations to wait for their trial or to start serving their sentences,” Shaba said.

Shaba further said they are also rolling out mass testing and so far they have started with Zomba Central Prison.

“The second thing we are doing is mass testing and we have started with Zomba maximum prison to ensure that we have the true picture of those who are positive so that we can isolate them from other inmates.”

The Malawi Prisons Service suspended all visitors from visiting the prisons until further notice to reduce the threat of transmission.