The Somali government has banned visits to inmates in prisons across the country as prevention measures to curb coronavirus.
The commander of Somali custodial corps, General Mahad Abdirahman Adan said the move follows a directive issued by the ministry of health and social services for a period of two weeks.
General Mahad department of health has pledged to put in place officials and equipment at exit and entry points of the prisons for COVID-19 screening.
So far one Somali citizen was diagnosed with the virus while nine others were quarantined for testing after they traveled into the country from affected countries.
All learning centers were directed to close for two weeks and civil servants ordered to work from home whereas international flights banned except cargo planes with humanitarian supplies such as food and medicine.
Neighboring countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia continue to record more cases as they struggle to contain the virus which originated from China.
