For People Living in Prisons and Jails

Protect yourself from getting sick with COVID-19.

This resource contains recommendations for people living in prisons and jails. CDC acknowledges it may be difficult to maintain physical distancing and avoid crowds in these settings.

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About COVID-19

• Many people who have COVID-19 do not feel sick.
• People who feel sick may experience signs and symptoms that include:
  
  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or having a hard time breathing
  • Feeling tired
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache

  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion (stuffy) or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

How COVID-19 Spreads

• When a person with COVID-19 breathes, coughs, sneezes, talks, or sings and droplets from their nose or mouth fall on a healthy person, they may spread COVID-19. Keep physical distance and wear a well-fitting mask.
• COVID-19 may get on your hands if you touch things. Wash your hands often.

People at Risk For COVID-19

• Anyone can get infected.
• If you have any of the health issues below, you are more likely to get severe COVID-19. It is very important to protect yourself, including and staying up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Cancer
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Chronic liver disease
  • Chronic lung diseases
  • Dementia or other neurological conditions
  • Diabetes (type 1 or type 2)
  • Down syndrome
  • Heart problems
  • HIV infection
  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system)
  • Mental health conditions
  • Overweight and obesity
  • Pregnancy
  • Sickle cell disease or thalassemia
  • Smoking (current or former)
  • Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant
  • Stroke or cerebrovascular disease
  • Substance use disorders
  • Tuberculosis
• You are also more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19 if you are
  • An older adult (50 years and older)
  • A member of a racial or ethnic minority group
  • Someone with a disability

Protect Yourself and Others

• Get vaccinated and stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines can help keep you from getting sick, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19.
• Avoid crowds and try to physically distance yourself as much as possible, including during these activities:
  • Recreation, especially when inside
  • Mealtime (if in a dining area with people from other units)
  • Walking in hallways
• Wear a well-fitting mask that covers your nose and mouth, especially when around staff or people from a different housing unit.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not immediately available.
  • After touching your mask
  • Before touching your face
  • After coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
  • After using the bathroom
  • Before eating
  • Before and after making food
  • Before taking medicine

Common Spaces

• Go outside for your recreation time if you can.
• Sleep head to foot if there is more than one bed in a room.

Visitors

• If visitors are allowed, your visitors may be screened for COVID-19 and asked to wear a mask.
• Your visitors may not be able to enter the building if they do not clear the screening process (for example, a temperature check), or if they decline to be screened.

If You Were Near Someone with COVID-19

• You may be tested for the virus even if you do not feel sick.
• You may be sent to an area away from others. This is called quarantine.
  • Quarantine separates people who were exposed to COVID-19 in case they become sick.
  • This room may be a single cell or a large area with others.
  • Quarantine helps prevent you from getting or spreading the virus to others.

What to Do if You Feel Sick

• Tell a correctional officer or other staff member if you feel sick so you can get medical care.
• You may be sent to an area by yourself. This is called medical isolation.
  • Medical isolation separates people who may have COVID-19 from people who are not sick. This is so you don’t get others sick.
  • This room may be a single cell or a large area with others who are also sick.
  • Medical isolation is not to punish you.
• You may be tested for COVID-19.
  • If your test is positive, showing you have COVID-19, you will need to stay in medical isolation for at least 10 days.
  • If your test is negative, but you were near someone with COVID-19, you may be assigned to a quarantine area in case you develop COVID-19.
    • A negative test result means that you probably did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing or that it was too early in your infection to test positive.
    • You may be tested again to make sure you are not infected.

Additional Resources from CDC

Visit CDC’s COVID-19 website for more information on the following topics:

• COVID-19 Recommendations for Older Adults
• How COVID-19 Spreads
• How to Protect Yourself and Others
• People with Certain Medical Conditions
• Quarantine and Isolation
• Symptoms of COVID-19
• Vaccines for COVID-19
• When and How to Wash Your Hands
• Your Guide to Masks