The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that prisons increase regular screening for symptoms of the coronavirus in staff and inmates, in some cases twice per day, to prevent the virus from spreading.
In a report released on Wednesday, which was based on incomplete data, the CDC found that about 5,000 prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19, as have about 2,000 prison staff, with 103 deaths in total.
“This analysis provides the first documentation of the number of reported laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19 in correctional and detention facilities in the United States,” reads the report, according to The New York Times.
To keep the disease from spreading, the CDC recommends regularly screening staff and detainees for symptoms, especially those who have been quarantined after being exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. The CDC recommended that anyone in quarantine be screened twice daily. It also recommends that staff members and prisoners wear face masks and physically distance whenever possible, as well as disinfecting shared surfaces and staggering showers and meals for prisoners to prevent crowding.