A Prisoner in al-Wathba prison tested positive for Coronavirus

Concerns have been raised over the lives of hundreds of prisoners held in the notorious al-Wathba prison after a prisoner tested positive for the Coronavirus.

According to "We-Record" for human rights, a prisoner was confirmed to have tested positive for the virus in 4B ward in al-Wathba prison that accommodate almost 4,000 prisoners.

Emirati prisons are notoriously overcrowded with people held in unhygienic conditions and inadequate, or non-existent, health services, raising serious concerns over the prisoners' lives especially in light of the virus spread.

The United Nations has earlier called for states to reduce the number of people in detention facilities, where the virus could “rampage” with particularly catastrophic effects.

However, UAE authorities, as of now, have declared no intention to reduce the number of prison inmates despite recent reports of over 9,000 cases of coronavirus infections across the country.