A prison warden who accompanied an inmate to Mater Dei Hospital has tested positive for COVID-19, the authorities have confirmed.

The inmate, flagged by the warden during contact tracing, was also tested for coronavirus but the test result came back negative, a spokesperson for the Home Affairs Ministry told Times of Malta.

"Tens" of other prison officials have also been tested and so far, none tested positive for the virus.

The Corradino Correctional Facility has in the meantime kept up its continuous disinfection and mask-wearing protocol, as well as ensuring that visitors speak to inmates from behind perspex.

Back in April, when the islands were experiencing the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, visits at CCF were stopped and wardens slept at the correctional facility for a week as part of a series of measures to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak.

On Monday Malta registered 23 new virus cases, with the number of active cases soaring to 415 – the highest since the pandemic made it to the island.