The Malta Police Association this evening ordered its members not to report to work at the prisons or to escort prisoners.

It said on its Facebook page, it was giving the directive for health reasons until the authorities provided it with all the necessary information and an adequate clarification.

This morning, the MPA issued a statement in which it expressed concern and called for protection for officers escorting prisoners suffering flu, which has been identified as what was previously known as Swine Flu.

It referred to a press conference a few days ago by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela about three prisoners having been hospitalised in critical condition.

The association said hospital staff were taking precautions when treating such patients.

Police officers, it said were in close contact with prisoners and also needed to be protected. It said they should be given protective clothing and instructed on the best precautions.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.