Federal Prison In NJ Has the Worst COVID-19 Outbreak In U.S. -- Again

The federal prison at Fort Dix, New Jersey is experiencing its worst COVID-19 outbreak to date. According to the Bureau of Prisons, it has the most cases of all federal prisons.

Coronavirus cases have once again skyrocketed at Fort Dix, after the federal government offered repeated assurances they were mitigating a prior outbreak where nearly 300 inmates tested positive for the virus last month. There are currently 442 cases inside the Burlington County prison among inmates and 11 cases among staff. With another 349 inmates considered recovered from the virus, that's almost a third of the facility's population that's tested positive.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez has pushed for more testing and better conditions at Fort Dix. He said through a spokesperson that the Bureau of Prisons isn't doing enough to keep people inside its facilities safe. 

The BOP said in a statement that transmission rates mirror infections in the community, which have also been rising. The agency said it is using testing tools to mitigate the spread and that the number of hospitalized inmates remains low. Officials did not disclose how many inmates were on ventilators.