Federal Prison Infections Double Overnight

From the Florida Phoenix: By Laura Cassels - April 2, 2020

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in federal prisons doubled in one day, from 28 on Tuesday to 57 on Wednesday, although none were reported in Florida, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The number of confirmed infected employees rose from 24 to 37, also with none in Florida. The bureau’s report was dated Wednesday; by noon Thursday, it had not been updated.

The Florida Department of Corrections still reports no confirmed cases among its 96,000 inmates and no new cases among staff Wednesday after reporting this week that 12 employees were infected and off duty. Florida has 144 state prisons, employing 24,000 staff.

Federal prisons started a 14-day lockdown for inmates on Wednesday. The Bureau of Prisons reported that one inmate has died of the virus, Saturday in Louisiana.

The federal prison system incarcerates 175,000 inmates around the country and employs 36,350 staff. Nine of those prisons are in Florida, holding nearly 10,000 men and women.

On Wednesday, Congresswoman Kathy Castor and state Rep. Dianne Hart, both Democrats from Tampa, called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to release low-risk state inmates who are elderly or have underlying health problems that make them highly susceptible to infection with coronavirus. DeSantis did not respond when asked to comment on whether he may do so.

Meanwhile, inmate advocates such as Families Against Minimum Mandatories and the Southern Poverty Law Center are seeking release for low-risk inmates around the nation, believing that the virus will be especially contagious and virulent among inmates confined in close quarters in prisons.

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.