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In this jail they produce 2,000 masks a day for the pandemic 2:15
Washington (CNN) - The US Federal Penitentiary System It will go into a state of high confinement as it fights the spread of the coronavirus behind bars, the Bureau of Prisons announced.
Starting Wednesday, inmates will be confined to their cells for a period of two weeks, with exceptions for certain programs and services such as treatment and mental health education.
Limited group meetings, such as access to prison shops, laundry, showers, and the phone, will be "granted as much as possible," the agency said.
READ: Early release, house arrest and more hygiene: the prison policies of some countries by the covid-19
Stringent protocols come just days after the first coronavirus death in the federal prison system, in a Louisiana prison over the weekend. As of Monday, there were 28 inmates in federal custody with confirmed diagnoses of coronavirus, in addition to 24 agency employees.
The federal prison system, made up of nearly 150,000 inmates at 122 facilities across the country, had previously been in a moderate defensive posture, with a mandatory quarantine for new inmates and a ban on most visits.
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Under the direction of Attorney General William Barr, the Bureau of Prisons has also been taking steps to begin releasing especially vulnerable populations of prisoners who are non-violent and eligible for home-confinement programs.
Jails