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COVID-19 Infections Rise Inside Two Federal Lockups In Oklahoma

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

There are nearly 100 COVID-19 positive prisoners and 3 positive employees inside two federal lockups in Oklahoma.

The Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City has 50 prisoners infected with the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, CI Great Plains, a private prison for federal detainees in Hinton, has identified 42 prisoners with the illness. The two facilities are holding a total of nearly 3,000 prisoners.

In a general statement on its COVID-19 response around the country, the federal Bureau of Prisons said it is testing prisoners for the disease if they show symptoms – which is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The prison agency said it is expanding testing in some prisons that have experienced outbreaks to determine how far the disease has spread. The agency says most prisoners who have tested positive in its system showed no symptoms.

The Bureau of Prisons did not say how many prisoners have been tested for COVID-19 in Oklahoma, or whether it is conducting widespread testing in the two lockups with positive cases. It also did not say whether any of the prisoners who tested positive showed symptoms or have been hospitalized.

Quinton Chandler worked at StateImpact Oklahoma from January 2018 to August 2021, focusing on criminal justice reporting.
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