The Ministry of Justice has announced that prison visits have been postponed due to the coronavirus. According to the latest statement, all in-person visits at prisons across the country have been suspended as a precautionary measure. The Ministry stated that, for a period of two weeks, all scheduled visits, transfers between prisons nationwide, and use of family visiting rooms are postponed in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. In addition to these postponements, the Ministry emphasized that it has put in place several other measures to prevent the spread of the virus in correctional facilities.
Under the preventive measures, the Ministry has confirmed that all visits to open and closed penal institutions—including lawyer visits—are prohibited. The Ministry also detailed additional steps being taken: special leave rights for inmates in open institutions, transfers from one institution to another except for cases of illness or security needs, and inmates’ external work assignments such as canteen, social facilities, and workhouse activities will be temporarily suspended for 15 days.
Visits Require Chief Prosecutor Approval During the Coronavirus Precaution Period
Alongside the two-week postponement, the Ministry of Justice published a breakdown of the additional measures and informed the public about them. Activities that involve multiple wards within a prison, as well as use of family visiting rooms located in child education units within penal institutions, have been suspended for two weeks. Furthermore, for children aged 0–6 who live with their mothers in prison, attendance at creches and kindergartens and any handover of children to parents or relatives outside the institution are temporarily postponed for two weeks.
The Ministry indicated that, given these measures, relatives of detainees and convicts may only visit under exceptional circumstances and with the explicit permission of the Chief Prosecutor. Lawyers will be permitted to conduct closed visits only when strictly necessary and provided they use protective equipment such as masks and gloves.
These measures are intended to protect detainees, staff, visitors, and the broader community by limiting contact and slowing potential viral spread within correctional facilities. The Ministry will continue to monitor the situation and update policies as needed in accordance with public health guidance.