Malawi Prisons’ junior officers have demanded to be provided with personal protective equipment (PPEs) and risk allowances or else they will seal all prisons to force the government to start paying them.

Confirming the news, Malawi Prison Service spokesperson Chimwemwe Shaba told The Nation newspaper that authorities are working on appeasing the grievances.

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Malawi has seen similar demands as health workers, game rangers, truck drivers and the Malawi Police have also threatened or implemented strikes on the same matter.

Last week, Human rights campaigners in Malawi are calling on the government to urgently release people from its notoriously overcrowded prisons as cases of Covid-19 are rising among both staff and inmates. By the time, 86 inmates and 21 members of staff have tested positive for Covid-19, according to Shaba. The Chief Commissioner of Prisons has ordered the suspension of prisoner’s relational visits, following the outbreak in prisons.