For People Living in Prisons and Jails

COVID-19 is an illness caused by a virus (SARS-CoV-2) that spreads easily from person-to-person. It is important to protect yourself from getting COVID-19 because it can make you very sick.*

English pdf icon[444 KB, 4 pages]
Spanish pdf icon[498 KB, 4 pages]

About COVID-19

• Many people who have COVID-19 do not feel sick.
• For those who do feel sick, some signs and symptoms of COVID-19 include:

  Fever/chills
  Coughing
  Feeling tired
  Having a hard time breathing
  Pain in the head or body

  New loss of taste or smell
  Sore throat
  Stuffy or runny nose
  Nausea/vomiting
  Diarrhea

How COVID-19 Spreads

If physical distancing is not maintained, the virus may spread when a person with COVID-19 breathes, coughs, sneezes, talks, or sings.

• Droplets are formed when you breathe. These droplets can contain the virus. If people nearby breathe in the droplets, then they can get infected.
• Sometimes, droplets can stay in the air for minutes to hours and infect someone more than 6 feet away.
• Droplets can stay in the air for minutes to hours. Droplets can also infect someone more than 6 feet away.
• Less commonly, people may get infected by the virus by touching something with the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes.

 People at Risk For COVID-19

• Anyone can get infected.
• Older adults and people with certain health issues tend to get sicker with COVID-19. Some of these issues include:
  • Cancer
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Chronic liver disease
  • Down syndrome
  • Heart problems
  • Obesity
  • Pregnancy
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Smoking
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Weakened immune system from solid organ transplant

If you have any of these health issues, it is more important than ever to protect yourself and get the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to you.

Protect Yourself and Others

• Vaccines may keep you from getting sick, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19. Get a vaccine as soon as you can.
• Maintaining physical distance can protect you from different types of COVID-19 (e.g., Delta).
  • Avoid crowds as much as possible, and try to distance yourself during:
    • Recreation, especially when inside
    • Mealtime (if in a dining area with people from other units)
    • Walking in hallways
• Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth, especially when around staff or people from a different housing unit.
• Always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds**:
  • 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. This gives you more space between your face and others around you.
• If visitors are allowed, visitors may be screened for COVID-19 and asked to wear a mask. 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 to see if they become sick.
  • This room may be a single cell or a large area with others.
  • Quarantine helps protect you from getting or spreading the virus to others.

What to Do if You Feel Sick

• Tell a correctional officer or 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 sent to a quarantine area to see if 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.
    • You could be exposed to COVID-19 after being tested.
    • You may be tested again.

Resources

• Visit CDC’s How to Protect Yourself & Others webpage for more information on the important ways to slow the spread of COVID-19.
• It is natural to feel stress, grief and worry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Refer to CDC’s Coping with Stress webpage for more details on how you can help yourself and others manage stress.

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

** If available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol when soap and water are not immediately available (for details see How to Protect Yourself & Others).