Florida Department of Corrections Banner, Secretary Mark S. Inch

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2020

Contact: FDC Communications
(850) 488-0420
 

FDC PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: COVID-19

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) has no known cases of confirmed COVID-19 within its correctional institutions at this time.

FDC is closely monitoring developments associated with the spread of this disease. FDC’s Office of Health Services, institutional medical staff and institutional operations staff work hand-in-hand with the Florida Department of Health (DOH) to quickly engage and resolve infectious disease outbreaks as soon as they occur. FDC is fully prepared to handle any potential cases of COVID-19 within the state operated correctional institutions in Florida.

  • FDC has a plan in place and dedicated staff members trained in the prevention and containment of infectious diseases.
  • FDC’s Office of Health Services coordinates with the Florida DOH for guidance on any type of outbreak and is closely monitoring new information as it is disseminated from Florida DOH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • FDC has stood up its Incident Command System in response to this potential threat.
  • Precautions are in place at facilities to protect inmates and staff from exposure to flu or any other respiratory illness, and are being followed per CDC recommendations.
  • Education has been provided to staff, inmates and visitors to prevent the spread of any infectious disease, including COVID-19.
  • Visitation at all institutions is continuing as normal. If at any point it is cancelled out of an abundance of caution, an announcement will be made on the Department’s public website and inmates will have an opportunity to contact their visiting loved ones.

FDC is committed to ensuring inmates receive appropriate medical care that is in line with evolving national standards. FDC has a constitutional mandate to provide health care for all inmates incarcerated in Florida’s prisons. This includes preventative health services, dental, mental health treatment, hospital care and treatment of chronic disease.

Click here for latest Coronavirus updates

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As Florida's largest state agency, and the third largest state prison system in the country, FDC employs 24,000 members, incarcerates 80,000 inmates and supervises nearly 146,000 offenders in the community.

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Visit our website at http://www.dc.state.fl.us.