To combat the spread of the coronavirus, Florida inmates will begin producing cloth face masks.
But the prisoners will be the last ones to receive the masks.
The Florida Department of Corrections made the announcement on Saturday that clothing manufacturing contractor Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises, which is staffed by prison inmates, will start producing the face masks using templates provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But before the prisoners receive any protection, the masks will go to correctional officers, followed by probation officers and then staff in high-risk locations. Jails and prisons with large at-risk populations will receive the masks last, the statement said.
“It’s critical we take all precautions necessary to minimize the potential risk to the inmate population and staff charged with their care and custody,” FDC secretary Mark Inch said in the news release.
The announcement was made after the first widespread coronavirus outbreak occurred in Florida last week at Blackwater River Correctional Facility.
At the privately operated facility, 34 inmates and six staff members tested positive, according to FDC records.
Florida isn’t the only state utilizing prisoners to create protective gear. Inmates in several states and at federal institutions have been called on to manufacture items like hand sanitizer and face masks, The Washington Post reports.
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