Zimbabwe's prison facilities: Preparedness for institutional COVID-19 outbreaks

Covid-19 cases and death are on the rise in Zimbabwe and other Southern African countries. This increase poses a major risk of outbreaks in institutions such as prisons and detention centers. Zimbabwe has a total of 46 main prisons that are overcrowded and without adequate running water, hand sanitizers, and face masks for both prisoners and warden officers. Although the country has released some prisoners, it is still not enough to decongest the prisons and mitigate the Covid-19 risk. There is a need to further decongest the prisons, ensure facilities have adequate tap water, and consider the use of video and audio technology to minimize visitors to inmates.