FDC Resumes Inmate Intakes, Establishes Protocols to Protect Population

As inmates are received from county facilities, reception centers screen and quarantine new commitments

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —  The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) resumed intake of new commitments from Florida counties effective Monday, March 30, 2020. Closely aligned with the CDC Interim Guidance on Management of COVID-19 in Correctional and Detention Facilities, FDC is asking county jails to quarantine inmates scheduled to be transferred to prison for the 14 days prior to transfer, when possible.

“This two-week pause in new intakes gave us the time we needed to establish robust precautions against introducing COVID-19 into the inmate population,” said FDC Secretary Mark Inch. “We appreciate Florida’s law enforcement community working with us as we took this preventative measure and move forward with a new protocol during this evolving health emergency.”

New intakes will be placed on a 14-day quarantine limiting movement and interaction with the general inmate population except in emergencies. Inmates will be socially distanced as much as possible within their housing units. All meals will be served to the inmates within their housing unit. Medical staff will monitor the inmates twice daily to ensure no inmates show symptoms of illness. At the conclusion of the 14-day quarantine, the inmates will be moved to the general population and the entire dormitory will be sanitized.

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