Morocco Detects More Than 300 Cases Of Coronavirus In Prisons

The Moroccan prison service has announced that more than 300 cases of novel Coronavirus have been detected at three prisons. 

The discovery came after health authorities tested inmates and guards in 73 jails in the country. 

According to the officials, after 1,700 tests were carried out across the country, 303 infections were recorded at a jail in the southern town of Ouarzazate, 62 of them were prison employees.

Ten others were found in the central city of Marrakesh and in Ksar Kebir in the north, while further tests were being carried to confirm five possible cases at Tangiers prison. 

The prison service also downplayed an increase of cases in prisons, saying the virus in jails, which hold nearly 80,000 inmates, are under control thanks to "preventive measures" such as quarantines and remotely held court hearings.

According to Arab News, Morocco has 4,252 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 165 deaths and 778 recoveries from the deadly disease. The kingdom has since imposed strict social distancing measures and made it compulsory to wear masks outside.