More than two dozen inmates and staff at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past month, according to Bureau of Prisons data released Thursday.Â
The cases include 25 inmates and three staff at the medium-security U.S. Penitentiary who were reported to be infected with the coronavirus, as noted on the agency's website, which tracks active cases.Â
Lompoc prison officials notified Santa Barbara County health officials about the outbreak on Dec. 8 and promptly instituted testing and infection control measures, according to Paige Batson, deputy director for the county Public Health Department.
The outbreak comes more than six months after a surge in coronavirus cases infected more than 900 inmates and staff at the Federal Correctional Institution earlier in the year. Four Lompoc inmates have died from the disease.Â