As of this month, Philadelphia has reported 1,776 COVID-19 cases among inmates in the city's prison system, including 305 symptomatic cases and 1,471 asymptomatic cases. The city's four jails hold about 4,837 inmates, a number that has declined approximately 40% since July 2015.
At the start of the pandemic, as asymptomatic spread became a significant concern in congregate settings like prisons, fear emerged among both inmates and corrections staff that COVID-19 would spread unchecked. At times, prisons dealt with outbreaks and implemented "shelter in place" policies that restricted movement.
The plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit argued that limited out-of-cell time may have contributed to the virus spreading in city jails, especially given the lack of hygienic protocols and supplies for inmates.