Inmate at Hulhumale’ Prison tests positive for COVID-19, prompting lockdown

The prison located in suburban Hulhumale’ has been placed under lockdown after an inmate at the facility tested positive for COVID-19.

Maldives Correctional Service identified the inmate who tested positive as a 56-year-old man.

The inmate has been transferred to a quarantine facility, and the prison is now under temporary lockdown as health authorities conduct contact tracing.

Maldives Correctional Service said they are investigating the source of the infection.

Maldives has 16,056 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 215 new cases identified on Monday. 159 of the new cases were from Male’ region.

Maldives began mass vaccinations against COVID-19 on Monday. 282 people received the first dose of the Covishield vaccine on Monday, and Health Minister Ahmed Naseem recently stated that the authorities are working on securing more vaccines and eventually ramping up the inoculation rate to 10,000 shots per day.