As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, family visits to prisons have been suspended and the existing food and water shortages have intensified. Many prisoners depend on family visits to receive food and medicine, however, since April 2020, when visits were suspended, this has not been possible.  

The lack of food and clean water in prisons had already created an environment susceptible to infection, with a high number of cases of tuberculosis in Venezuelan prisons and there is concern that coronavirus could easily spread with current prison conditions. It has been reported that between March 14 and May 4 only 47 of the 500 Venezuelan preventative detention centres were disinfected.   

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