Prison inmates will be forced to quarantine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In a report released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the implementation of Phase 5 of its COVID-19 Action Plan was ordered and will go into effect today, April 1.
“For a 14-day period, inmates in every institution will be secured in their assigned cells/quarters to decrease the spread of the virus,” the statement says. “This modification to our action plan is based on health concerns, not disruptive inmate behavior.”
During this quarantine, inmates would still have access to programs and services that are offered under normal operating procedures such as mental health treatment and education.
Moreover, there will be a decrease in the incoming movement within prisons across the nation.
After the two-week quarantine, a decision will be made as to whether it is safe for prisoners to return to modified operations.
In California, 3,500 prison inmates will be released to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Los Angeles Times. At Rikers Island in New York, more than 160 inmates and 130 staff members have contracted the coronavirus, according to the New York Times.
At press time, America has 210,714 cases of the coronavirus and 4,697 deaths.
