Prison visits allowed again from Saturday

Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya

By Chaminda Silva

The Department of Prisons has announced that the ban on visitors to see inmates in prisons will be lifted from next Saturday (15).

The Commissioner of Prisons (Administration) Chandana Ekanayake said the administration had decided to allow inmates to meet their relatives in strict compliance with health and safety measures.

A special discussion chaired by Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya in this regard was held Monday with the participation of the Prisons Medical Director, the Deputy Directors and the Commissioners.

The Commissioner said that a guest was allowed to visit only one inmate once a week and visitors would still be prohibited from bringing food to the inmates.

In the wake of finding a COVID-19 infected inmate in the Welikada Prison in Colombo last month, it was decided to ban visitors to all prisons in the country from July 8.