Florida Dept. Of Corrections Resumes Inmate Intakes, Establishes Quarantine Procedures

The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) has resumed intake of new commitments from Florida counties.

Under CDC guidelines, FDC is asking county jails to quarantine inmates scheduled to be transferred to prison for 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.

Pictured: Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com file photo.