Following the declining number of Covid-19 cases, authorities at Malawi Prison Service (MPS) have uplifted suspension of relational visits to inmates in all prisons in the country.
The suspension was called in March this year as a means of preventing the spread of the pandemic, while the prisons themselves registered cases; by August, 107 inmates and 16 prison guards tested positive for COVID-19, as authorities called for the release of prisoners to reduce congestion. Taking action, the Ministry of Homeland Security minister confirmed that President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera pardoned 499 prisoners as part of reducing congestion.
8 months after the suspension, a memo dated October 16, signed by Commissioner of Prisons Yafiti Chimodzi outlines that people can now visit prisons with adherence to the strict measures imposed in the respective prisons.