All employees to be tested at Southern California prison hit by COVID-19 outbreak

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will begin coronavirus testing for all staff at the California Institution for Men in Chino this week.

The testing, which will be mandatory, comes after significant outbreaks at the prison among the inmate population.

CIM currently has reported the highest numbers of infection in the California prison system. As of Saturday afternoon, CIM was reporting 628 confirmed cases of coronavirus among inmates and six deaths due to COVID-19.

Fifty-eight employees at CIM have contracted coronavirus, and 35 of those have returned to work.

Statewide, 1,101 inmates have tested positive for coronavirus, and the only inmate deaths in the state have been at CIM. All told, 232 prison staff have tested positive, and 129 have returned to work.

In an email obtained by The Sacramento Bee, CDCR officials said that all employees will be tested three days per week for the next three weeks. Staff were notified of the testing requirements Friday.

This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 6:15 AM with the headline "All employees to be tested at Southern California prison hit by COVID-19 outbreak."